Brits in need of a good night’s sleep

Over a quarter of Brits admit to sleeping poorly most nights as experts urge the public to reassess their sleeping conditions. With links to dietary troubles and heart problems to mental health concerns and mood swings, sleep deprivation affects a noticeable portion of Britain’s workforce and could be costing the country billions in lost profits.

Workers suffering from ‘burnout’ cost the UK around £40 billion and 200,000 working days a year according to the report by Curtains.com, who are encouraging people to invest in blackout curtains and other ways to improve their bedrooms. Giving your body time to adjust to the night and bring yourself slowly to sleep could improve your attitude at work and can have a positive effect on children’s school grades by around 14%.

“Avoid really bright lights in the evening because they confuse your body clock,” advised psychologist and hypnotherapist Sharon Stiles, “If you have to get up in the middle of the night, turn on a dim lamp rather than a bright light.  This will avoid sending signals to your brain that it is daytime and you will find it easier to go back to sleep.”

Also advising that workers get at least half an hour of natural sunlight per day to improve their sleeping patterns at night, the report also claims that instances of severe anxiety and depression could be reduced by around 17 times with increased understanding of how sleep affects our bodies. Curtains.com is concerned that not enough is being done by businesses to ensure people manage their home lives and sleep cycles.

“Managers should be trained to notice the signs and act on them promptly”, said Ines Respini Jones. “While employees themselves can take action to prevent burnout by adopting healthy eating habits, exercising regularly, getting a proper amount of sleep, sleeping without artificial lights, and setting work boundaries to ensure a proper work-life work balance.”