The Harrison Spinks Sleep Survey

Our study of 2,000 people across the UK asked the public to rate their sleep on a scale of 0-10 (with 0 being the poorest rating). Perhaps the most surprising result was that, despite many saying they sleep for at least 7 hours a night, not so many would say they’re getting the best sleep quality possible - almost a quarter (23%) of people described their sleep quality as 3/10 or worse!

Suffer from poor sleep? You're not alone...

It's easy to think that a longer sleep equals a better sleep... But this isn't always the case. Sleep quality is one thing that's harder to measure and it can be influenced by many things. One thing is for sure however, how many times you suffer from disturbed sleep (i.e. waking up on a night) is certainly the biggest contributor to poor sleep...

Astonishingly, 1 in 4 people (23%) said they have a disturbed sleep 7 nights a week with 37% of 55-64 year olds suffering from regular sleep disturbance compared to just 7% of 25-34 year olds. Waking up multiple times on a night can also have an adverse effect and can leave you feeling sluggish and tired the next day. Of the 93% of people who wake up at some point in the night, almost a third (31%) of them do so 3-4 times.

Living for the weekend

It's no secret that we all find ourselves wishing Monday wouldn't come sometimes... It's therefore unsurprising that when we asked people to rank the day of the week they feel most tired, nationally, Monday (30%) topped the tired list. Naturally, Saturday (18%) and Sunday (18%) came joint top for the day of the week we feel most refreshed.

Perhaps more worryingly, 31% of respondents said they no matter what the day, they never felt completely refreshed or energised.

Sleepless in Sheffield

We asked people to rate how well they slept on a scale of 0-10 (0 being the lowest rating), and it's not good news for Sheffield...

Other notable cities: Birmingham (5.39), Bristol (5.48), York (5.69).

What keeps you up at night?

Half the people surveyed said that they found it difficult or very difficult to get to sleep. There can be many reasons why you find yourself unable to drift off to sleep when you go to bed. Feeling stressed (42%), not being able to get comfortable (31%), and feeling too hot (24%) were some of the main reasons why people found it difficult to get to sleep. Other said they worried about money/finances (16%), work issues (13%) and family issues (13%).

It’s not just the personal reasons that interfere with our sleep. Reliance on technology, eating and drinking late and alcohol may go some way to explain the nation’s nocturnal anxieties – almost a third (32%) browse the internet, 1 in 5 check their phone or tablet and 21% smoke or drink in the hours before bed. It’s advised to take a break from your phone or laptop for at least an hour before you go to bed. Studies suggest that exposing our eyes to ‘blue light’ (the light emitted from digital screens) are not only damaging to our eyes, but can also cause headaches and mental fatigue, both of which are not recommended if you want to get to sleep.

How can you improve your sleep?

Everyone finds themselves up at night worrying about work or relationships from time to time. However, it’s important to recognise when these sleepless nights are becoming more regular and then to take steps to overcome these.

Whether you de-stress by taking a long, hot bath or reading a book before bed, it’s always good to take some time to relax and unwind before hitting the hay. You can read our full trips and tricks on how to de-stress before bed here.