Lack of Sleep Impacts on Workplace Efficiency

A recent sleep index survey undertaken by Travelodge shows that the typical person in Britain is only getting an average of six hours and twenty one minutes sleep each night. This falls some way short of the recommended eight hours per night a normal adult requires to be fully rested, alert and be at their optimum efficiency the following day. It’s quite a worrying trend as just two years ago UK adults were sleeping for a whole 51 minutes longer on average.   Industry has been badly affected with an estimated £ 1Billion lost each year because of sick days taken just because of tiredness due to a bad night’s sleep. Even those who do make it to work might not be wholly focussed on what they are doing, or able to put in maximum effort either. Just over half the people surveyed –from 6000 respondents- said a lack of sleep affected their work with a lack of concentration a predominant feature. In fact around a quarter of the people who took the survey admitted to dozing while at work. Some admitted to shutting their eyes and nodding off at their desks, while 10% said they went to the toilets for a nap to catch up on much needed sleep.   There is a bit of a double edged sword here as many people are actually losing sleep worrying about their jobs. Although the worst of the economic recession may be over many people still worry about losing their job or have other work related stress that affects their sleep.   Stevie Williams, from the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, said, “This research highlights that sleep deprivation is certainly a growing problem in the UK. It's worrying to see that the sleep debt and the number of sick days taken off due to sleep restriction have doubled in two years. Although we are coming out of the recession Brits are still worried about money and work issues, which are fuelling this sleep disorder.”   Home life can suffer too through a lack of sleep. People are often too tired to socialise or do things with their families and that in turn can create problems and arguments. This adds to stress they may already feel and makes getting too sleep even harder   If you have trouble sleeping why not read our blog article on tips to get a better night sleep. You never know you might find that by altering something as simple as your bedtime routine, changing your pillows or your mattress may improve the quality of sleep you get every night.