Sleep deprived Brits are losing an entire night of sleep per week, new study finds
New research released by Bensons for Beds and The Sleep School has revealed that over 70% of adults in the UK are not getting the recommended eight hours of sleep per night.
The impact of sleepless nights is costing the UK over one billion in annual revenue as 8% of workers have claimed to call in sick due to feeling too tired after a poor night’s sleep, and 12% reporting to have fallen asleep at their desk or during a meeting.
So what’s been keeping the nation up? According to the research, over half of all women polled claimed that life stresses are the main reason they’re unable to sleep, while four in ten men claim work stress as a key factor for sleepless nights.
Children are also affected by a lack of sleep. The results show that children as young as three aren’t getting enough sleep. Around 22% of children aged 3-17 aren’t getting the recommended amount of sleep for their age groups.
Since sleep is a crucial part of a child’s development, most parents believe that the lack of sleep contributes to a change in the their overall mood and wellbeing.
Surprisingly enough, the most ‘under slept’ city proved to be Plymouth, with 51% of residents claiming to experience more sleepless nights than good.
Cardiff followed with 47% and Lincoln with 45%. In contrast, the best slept cities included Doncaster, Leicester and Norwich, whose residents all claim to get regular good night sleeps.
Dr Guy Meadows, founder of The Sleep School, claims the results of the survey are worrying signs for the future of the UK.
“Given the importance of sleep for both children and adults in maintaining mental, emotional and physical health, such figures are deeply worrying for the long term health of the nation.”
“In addition, with over a billion pounds lost because of absenteeism from work due to poor sleep, not to mention its negative impact on mental performance, it’s time the UK woke up to the negative cost of sleep deprivation on the UK economy.”
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