Brits Are the 'Worst Sleepers in the World'

Us Brits are pretty good at a number of things. When it comes to moaning about the weather – come rain or shine – knowing exactly how long to brew a cup of tea for and remembering our Ps and Qs, we are the best.

However, it seems that as a country, we are failing to get enough sleep, leaving us a nation of yawning and tired adults. In fact, Britain has more people struggling to sleep than many other countries, according to a new study from Aviva.

Research looking at 13 different countries found that 37 per cent of adults in the UK admit to not getting enough sleep. The company’s Health Check UK report also found that a solid eight hours is now one of the country’s top ambitions – second only to losing weight.

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The study looked at countries across Europe, North America and Asia to see whether people are getting enough shut-eye. While Ireland (34 per cent), Canada (31 per cent and the US (31 per cent) were reasonably high on the list. The lowest on the list were India (nine per cent) and China (ten per cent).

At least we know we need to get better at getting an early night, though, with three in ten (29 per cent) families planning to take steps to improve the amount of sleep they get over the next 12 months, This is compared to just 20 per cent who said they did this in the last year.

More families want to try and catch more zzzs than reduce sugar intake too, with just 22 per cent stating this as a health goal.

It isn’t just adults who are bad at regulating their own shut-eye either, it seems that parents aren’t doing all they can to get their little ones to bed, with 49 per cent admitting they don’t always make sure their kids are getting enough sleep.

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Not only is sleep important for your overall health and wellbeing, Aviva found that not getting enough of it impacts how much people exercise. Just under half (44 per cent) of adults in the UK admitted that they are usually too tired to exercise, with women (52 per cent) being worse off than men (35 per cent).

Dr Doug wright, medical director for Aviva UK Health, said: “If it feels like you’re always running on empty, you’re not alone: our research shows that as a nation we’re some of the worst sleepers in the world, with two in five of us feeling we are not getting the right amount of sleep. It’s, therefore, no surprise that so many aspire to getting their full forty winks.

“The importance of getting a decent night’s sleep should never be underestimated. Sleep plays an important role in mental and physical health, with your body using this time to renew and repair. However, it’s very easy to make a habit of going to bed too late, or not being able to switch off when you do eventually turn in for the night.”