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Poor sleep costs 14.4m working days a year

Published on: 4 Oct 2023

One in six UK workers has had to take an average of three sick days in the past 12 months due to sleeplessness, according to the latest research.

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Poor sleep patterns, which affect 15% of workers, cause 14.4m sick days every year, according to Canada Life, based on Opinium polling of 2,000 people.

On average, UK adults sleep for six hours and 12 minutes – less than the NHS’s recommendation of seven to nine hours – and wake up twice a night. A total of 36% do not feel they get enough quality sleep most nights. 

Around 16% feel that poor sleep impacts their physical and mental health, and 63% desire a nap during the day. The research also reveals that 24% stay up too late and 14% use mobile phones and other devices in bed. 

For 21%, bad nights are caused by physical conditions or illnesses, while for 17% it is poor mental health. Snoring partners cause poor sleep for 11%, 16% have insomnia and 12% are kept awake by financial worries. 

Only 30% have sought help; of these, 45% took medication, 36% spoke to an NHS doctor, 32% tried meditation or mindfulness, 29% used alternative medicine and 23% used an app.

Image credits: Shutterstock