More than a million people get less than four hours of sleep every night – affecting their productivity at work and seriously impairing their ability to make decisions.
A further 39% do only slightly better with between four and six hours’ sleep a night – falling well short of the recommended eight hours.
A sleep study of 1,470 people by hotel chain Travelodge lists restless pets, snoring bedfellows and squeaky beds as just some of the reasons for poor sleep.
Work pressures were the biggest cause, highlighted by one in five, with a further 8% admitting they do not sleep at all the night before an important meeting.
Stephen Emegbo, sleep physiologist at the University of Surrey, said: “[The UK] today is a 24-hour society with plenty of opportunities to work and party for much longer than we should.
“[Society] demands – the need to do more in a day – are consequently determining our sleep behaviours and an individual’s regular sleep pattern will not always meet his or her actual sleep need. This lack of sleep can be disastrous – the person will experience poor or at the very least, reduced performance and their decision-making will certainly be affected.”