There is nothing quite like getting a good night’s sleep and waking up feeling fully rested for the next day.
Unfortunately, the reality is many of us are just not getting enough down time, leaving us grumpy, emotional and unable to concentrate. Not a good mix for leading a full and active life.
New research has found how the average person in Britain gets just six hours and nineteen minutes sleep per night; which really isn’t enough to recharge your batteries.
So what is behind this dire duvet dilemma? And how can we reach that eight hour a night dream?
A survey of over 2,000 British adults found how technology, lack of exercise and late night eating are among some of the reasons why we just aren’t getting enough shuteye.
This study, which was commissioned by Sainsbury’s with Balance by AromaWorks, discovered how one quarter of us depend on caffeine to pull us through to the evening.
As many of you can surely relate, it often feels like there just isn’t enough hours in the day to get everything done, with 44 per cent of us wrapping up tasks in bed. Despite this, 85 per cent agreed they feel restored after a night’s sleep.
One in 10 will check or even reply to work emails and one fifth will hunker down to some ‘life admin.’ Over one in 20 will complete other work-related duties while getting cosy under the covers.
Find out more about the importance of sleep below:
Buyer for Aircare and Cleaning at Sainsbury’s, Lydia Atkinson, stated:
We are always looking at ways to help our customers live well for less and our Living Well Index has identified just how significant an impact sleep quality has on an individual’s sense of wellbeing.
It’s clear that as a nation we’re struggling to get a good night’s sleep, so we wanted to develop a solution that helps our customers get those extra hours of shut eye.
Atkinson added:
AromaWorks is an obvious partner for Sainsbury’s – the company’s dedication to natural aromatherapy aligns with our values which underpins the new Balance by AromaWorks range.
Alarmingly, it was found many people had dropped off during some truly bizarre situations such as while attending a fireworks display or a live gig; or even – unbelievably – while going through labour.
Unsurprisingly, more than one third of us will get a better rest when they know they aren’t working the next day. Friday is usually where we get our best night’s kip, with grim old Sunday night being the worse.
Sleeping while away on holiday helps almost three in 10 of us get some good snooze in, while close to one quarter of people find exercise improves their sleep quality.
Rather adorably, 15 per cent will feel much more rejuvenated if they have spent the night cuddled up with their partner.
When you add up the amount of time we spend thinking about tasks to complete when we should be sleeping – 38 minutes a day – this clocks up to almost 20 hours a month.
Of course work is important but your health must come first. Make sure to switch off at a reasonable hour if you can with a hot drink and a good book instead.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.