The average Brit suffers 55 days of bad night's sleep a year, with UK businesses suffering the consequences in loss of productivity according to new research revealed today. An in-depth study by Travelodge into Britain's sleeping habits found that a bad night's sleep has a number of significant effects on work productivity, which include:
Feeling physically run down (57%)
Loss of concentration (54%)
Feeling low and depressed (49%)
Being more prone to illness (26%)
Taking longer to complete tasks (24%)
The study revealed the size of the nation's sleep deficit as only three per cent of respondents claimed they manage the daily recommended eight hours of sleep per night. Saturday night is the main night Brits indulge in a good night's sleep and Sunday night was voted the worst for sleep deprivation.
Nearly one in ten respondents (8%) said that poor sleep causes them to call in sick after a bad night's sleep, and nearly one in three (31%) said it takes them two days to fully recover after a sleepless night. A vain (42%) of respondents said the lack of beauty sleep impacts on how they look and feel about themselves - making them less confident. What's more, nearly a third (31%) said they feel up to 25% less productive after a bad night's sleep, while nearly one in five (18%) said their productivity is halved after a night tossing and turning.
When questioned about what the reasons behind their poor sleeping habits, respondents listed work stress (23%) as the second biggest cause behind long working hours. Forty four per cent of respondents said they would feel more productive after a poor nights sleep if employers offered them an opportunity of a Duvet Day. (Employees can choose to have an unplanned lie-in and come to work up to two hours later than usual on a Duvet Day).
To cure sleep deprivation, Brits are spending a yearly total of £6.7 billion on quick fix rejuvenating cures to help them cope with the effects of a bad night's sleep.
The nation's most trusted quick fixes to replace and refresh following a bad night's sleep are:
1. Early morning pit stop in a coffee shop (40%)
2. Bottled water (34%)
3. A traditional cup of tea (22%)
4. Smoothie to inject vitamins (20%)
5. Energy drinks (14%)
6. A big breakfast (12%)
7. Expensive make-up to refresh looks (11%)
8. Vitamins (8%)
9. Caffeine pills (2%)
10. Herbal remedies (2%)
Chris Idzikowski, Sleep expert from Edinburgh Sleep Centre said: "The research highlights lack of sleep is a widespread problem experienced by many people in the UK and with sizeable effects on work productivity. Ironically, the findings reveal that while businesses are suffering the consequences of employees sleeping badly, in many cases they are directly causing the problem, with a quarter of respondents saying that work stress keeps them awake at night. With this in mind, employers should encourage employees to raise any issues they are having with sleep patterns and try to understand what is causing the problem and help them identify how they can help them improve their sleep."
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For more information please contact:
Emilie Lien, Lexis PR
T: 020 7908 6421
E: elien@lexispr.com
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge PR Manager:
T: 01844 358703
E: Shakila.ahmed@travelodge.co.uk
Notes to editors:
Research was conducted In March 2007 by One Poll with 1700 respondents
*£6.7 billion figure calculation: Total spent per month by respondents: £19,900.13, Total spent on average per month by each respondent: £11.70 Total spent per year by each respondent: £140.47 total spent per year by total UK adults aged 18+: £6,742,560,000
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