Over a third of Brits still not getting enough sleep

34 per cent of Brits are still falling short of the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep a night, according to the results of a YouGov survey commissioned by bed retailer Time4Sleep. The survey, which quizzed 2060 people on their regular sleeping habits, found that 32 per cent of us get just approximately four to six hours of sleep on average, while a further two per cent say they get even less than this.

While it was positive to see that more than half (56 per cent) of those surveyed sleep for seven to eight hours a night, the amount generally recommended for adults, the implication that more than a third of us (34%) are getting inadequate bed-rest is still worrying - particularly as poor quality sleep has been tied to rising rates of depression, obesity and even heart disease.

In a bid to uncover the reasons behind Britain's poor sleep habits, the survey also asked respondents about their activities before and around bedtime. For instance, more than four in five people ( 92 per cent) admit to using their, mobile phones, tablets, televisions and other electronic devices within the two hours before to going to bed at least once a week, despite this behaviour increasingly being linked to sleep disturbances and an inability to "switch off" at night.

Exercise levels also seem to be a factor: half of respondents (50%) said they either do no moderate to strenuous activity (29 per cent) or less than an hours’ worth (21 per cent) every week. Add to this that 56 per cent described their jobs as "very stressful" or "fairly stressful" and two in five admitted to taking work home with them at least once a week, and it  may suggest that a significant proportion of people are finding it hard to make time to relax in the evenings.

The data also revealed some regional variations in people's sleeping habits. Perhaps surprisingly, Londoners were some of the most likely to get their regulation seven to eight hours of shut-eye (58%) joint with those in the East, in spite of the perception that life is busy and hectic in the capital. Those in the north of England got the worst sleep overall, with 38 per cent saying they sleep for six hours or less per night.

The results of the survey may suggest a widespread sleep problem in the UK, it was at least encouraging to see that relatively few people are relying on sleeping pills to drop off at night. 87 per cent of respondents said they never used artificial sleep aids, suggesting that the majority of us may be able to improve our sleeping habits simply by making lifestyle adjustments rather than resorting to medical means

"We're seeing more and more studies that suggest a direct link between the length and quality of our sleep and our health and wellbeing overall, so it's worrying to see that so many people are still not getting as much sleep as they need," said Jonathan Warren, director at Time4Sleep. "The most consistent advice we hear is to make time for bedtime: switch off the TV and your mobile phone and don't eat just before going to sleep, and try to get into the habit of using your evenings to relax, not work."