The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) says 43 percent of adults reported sleeping less than the recommended minimum of 7 hours on the previous night before they took its survey.
That’s in addition to 32 percent of primary and 70 percent of secondary school children reported sleeping less than 9 hours on the previous night, despite emerging research linking poor sleep quality to less healthy food choices, and increased risk of obesity.
On top of this, 80 percent of adults, and 44 percent of secondary school children, reported waking up at least once during the previous night.
The research surveyed 6,018 primary and secondary school students aged 7 β 16 years, and 1,576 adults from across the UK, and asked questions about their night time routines, sleep, and eating and drinking habits on the previous night.
Dr Lucy Chambers, Senior Scientist at BNF, said: βBNF Healthy Eating Week promotes and celebrates healthy living by focussing on five health challenges which workplaces and schools are encouraged to take on: Have Breakfast, Have 5 A DAY, Drink Plenty, Get Active, and, new for this year, Sleep Well. With more and more emerging research linking lack of sleep to poor dietary choices, and the burgeoning obesity crisis in the UK, we are keen to place a new focus on sleep this year β looking into how well weβre actually all sleeping, and providing advice and resources to help improve sleeping habitsβ.
The survey also reveals what some of the barriers might be to a good nightβs sleep, with 59 percent of secondary school students, 50 percent of adults, and 49 percent of primary school students stating that, on the night of the survey, they used screens just before bed. On top of this, one in ten (9 percent) secondary school students, and one in six (16 percent) adults, reported drinking a caffeinated drink before bed.
Alcohol consumption was also analysed, with nearly one in ten adults (8 percent) consuming alcohol before bed. Around half (52 percent) of adults who reported consuming alcohol before bed fell asleep within 10 minutes, compared to 61 percent who did not consume alcohol, and nearly half of adults who consumed alcohol woke up two or more times during the night, compared to 38 percent of those who did not. Whilst only 29 percent of all adults surveyed agreed they felt well rested when they woke up, for those who drank alcohol before bed this figure was even lower at 20 percent.
Only about a third of secondary and primary school students stated that they felt well rested or wide awake when they woke up and 32 percent of secondary school students said it took them more than ten minutes to get out of bed after their alarm went off. The number adults taking more than ten minutes to get out of bed was even higher at 40 percent.
Where lack of, and disturbed, sleep can lead to both adults and young people feeling grumpy and irritable, regular poor quality sleep can have a negative impact on dietary choices, including higher intakes of calories and more frequent snacking on less healthy foods.
The BNFβsΒ Task Force report:Β Cardiovascular Disease: Diet, Nutrition and Emerging Risk FactorsΒ published earlier this year, highlighted that lack of sleep, and interrupted sleep, may be linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and hypertension.
Chambers added: βBreakfast helps to get the day off to a good start by providing the energy and nutrients the body needs for good health and itβs also a great opportunity to make a start on your 5 A DAY. It is recommended that we should all be consuming around 6-8 unsweetened drinks every day to keep hydrated. In particular, it is important to encourage children to drink fluids regularly as it is not always something that they remember themselves.
βSchools and organisations registered for BNF Healthy Eating Week receive a variety of free resources and activities to encourage employees and pupils to embrace the five health challenges. For example, for the βHave Breakfastβ challenge, resources and activities for children include: a βHave Breakfastβ meal planner, βGuess the Fibre Contentβ games, and a βMy Breakfast Swapperβ chart, with tips for how to make a healthier breakfast.
βAlongside the concerns about sleep and diet, the survey also found that 15% of children and 17% of adults reported not brushing their teeth before bed the night before. This is a worrying finding as we know that good dental hygiene is vital for oral health.β
VisitΒ www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/hew/bnfhew19.htmlΒ Β orΒ www.foodafactoflife.org.ukΒ for more information.
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