Money Worries Disturb Sleep

Brits are counting pennies rather than counting sheep, as almost three quarters of the nation admit to having sleepless nights thanks to financial worries keeping them awake at night.

A sleep study, commissioned by Premier Inn, found that four in ten Brits have a disturbed night's sleep as a result of worrying about having enough cash to pay bills and 'get through' the month.

Concerns about work, love life woes and fears over health were highlighted alongside financial worries as being the top reasons that Brits lie awake at night.

Of the 2,000 adults surveyed, the majority revealed their sleepless nights are caused by things playing on their mind, rather than physical disturbances like annoying car alarms or persistent dog barking. That said the beeping, flashing or buzzing of mobile phones does cause one in twenty of us to stir from our slumber.

Getting the temperature right seems to be a crucial element of a good night's sleep with over a quarter of Brits being unable to nod off if they are too hot and 16% claiming they wake up if it's too cold.

Claire Haigh, spokeswoman for Premier Inn, commented: "Most of us suffer from sleepless nights at some point in our lives and it can be extremely frustrating when something is playing on your mind as it makes it hard to drop off.

"The research revealed that 40% of us actually have a better night's sleep when we are staying away from home as it allows us to really switch off. This demonstrates how important it is to occasionally get away from the stresses of everyday life, but making sure the time away from home won’t break the bank."

The study revealed that the average time when Brits are most likely wake up from the land of nod is between 2am and 3am and for those who suffer sleepless nights regularly it can happen at least twice a week, with almost a quarter of Brits saying Sunday is their most restless night, due to worry about the coming week.

Other concerns playing on Brits' minds this year include worries over preparations for the Queen's Jubilee, excitement for the Olympics coming to England and even 6% admit to missing out on their 40 winks as a result of the US presidential election.

(GK)