Bad weather keeps Brits awake at night
We all know that we should be getting 8 hours kip a night to perform at our best, but us Brits have a disturbed sleep at least 3 nights a week – that means over 156 nights of disturbed sleep every year! No wonder we don’t wake up feeling fresh and revived most mornings.
But what is it that would persistently wake us from our peaceful slumber? Is it the construction work going on across the street that starts at some ungodly hour? Perhaps it’s the particularly vocal newlyweds next door. Many a wife would claim it’s the heavy snoring of their partner! But in actual fact, according to a new sleep survey out this week, the noise that most commonly wakes us is from the great British weather.
Rain, wind and thunder & lightening were the most commonly cited noises respondents said would wake them from their sleep (50%). And those who have partners that like to snore, you’re not alone, as 47% of people suffer from a lack of sleep due to their noisy other half.
What is even more frustrating is that nearly a quarter of us say we are rarely able to get back to sleep once we’re disturbed during the night, with women seemingly finding it harder than men. Almost two in five people (39%) confess to having slept on the floor or a sofa in another room due to noise at night, according to the survey by Lemsip Max All Night Cold and Flu Tablets. One in twenty have even moved house to avoid a certain noise!
And with the winter nights rolling in, many of us will inevitably fall victim to the prevalent bout of colds and flu that are circulating, which often leads to blocked noses, restricted airways and therefore - yes more snoring.
"There is nothing more likely to leave you feeling drained and depressed than disturbed sleep, especially when this happens over several nights," comments psychologist Dr David Lewis PHD, Head of Research at Mindlab International. "Some sounds, for instance your partner coughing or snoring beside you, disturb men and women equally. Other noises such as a howling wind cause men to be bothered more than women, while women are more likely to be disturbed by a crying baby or a rowdy pub crowd.”
He added: “These differing sensitivities may represent evolutionary differences that make women sensitive to sounds associated with a potential threat to their children while men are more finely tuned to disturbances posing a possible threat to the whole family."
Stefan Gaa, Lemsip Director, agrees. “We all lead busy lives, so it is important to try and get a good night’s sleep. However with the winter months upon us, many of us could suffer from the symptoms of cold and flu which can lead to interrupted sleep.”
For more information visit lemsip.com.
