The billion pound cost of a bad night's sleep

The Bupa ‘How Are You Britain?' report reveals sleep-starved workers are taking three extra days sick leave a year compared to their well rested colleagues - costing UK businesses over £280 per annum for every employee.

The report reveals that over a quarter (27 per cent) of the working nation  wakes up feeling tired and unrefreshed, with Sunday being the worst night of the week for a bad night's sleep.   

Bupa sleep expert, Dr Ian Mak from the Cromwell Hospital said: "Over long periods of time, lack of sleep can affect your decision making, your reactions and your judgement. It may even be a factor in the development of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and mental health problems."

Why is Britain so tired? 

When it comes to sleepless nights, the research reveals that stress is a major contributor.

In Britain, close to a quarter (23 per cent) of workers, report suffering from high levels of stress, with 66 per cent feeling stressed and overwhelmed at least once a fortnight.

In fact in a working year, employees spend 40 per cent (91days) of the time feeling stressed and overwhelmed.

The Risks

The cost of a bad night's sleep is not limited to sick days.  Half of those questioned said they drag themselves into work feeling tired and unrefreshed over 20 times a year.

Shattered workers are 23 per cent less satisfied in their jobs and admit to low levels of productivity (24 per cent) compared to their colleagues.

Banking and finance is the worst affected industry, with employees admitting to feeling tired and unrefreshed on average 34 days of the working year, closely followed by education  and government (average 31 days per year).

Dr Mak continued: "The effects of sleep deprivation have led scientists to believe that a good night's sleep is essential for people to be able to function properly on a daily basis."

In the battle of the sexes, men and women are on a fairly equal footing when it comes to sleep deprivation (29 per cent of women versus 24 per cent of men); however women are 35 per cent more likely to take time off work due to lack of sleep than their male counterparts.

Gender is not the only factor that counts; age plays a significant role, with 39 per cent of employees aged 45 to 59 getting over seven hours sleep a night, compared to over half (55 per cent) of under 29s.

What can be done? 

Three tips for a good night's sleep:

Get up at the same time everyday, no matter how little sleep you've had. Lying-in disrupts your sleep pattern. 

Don't drink caffeinated drinks or smoke for six hours before you go to sleep. A heavy meal before bed is also likely to keep you awake.  

Stress can keep you awake. Get into a relaxing routine before you go to bed. Try a hot bath, or reading a book before you turn in.

For more information about sleep visit bupa.co.uk/members/mb-healthy-living/sleep/sleep-science or for tips on how to get a good night's sleep visit bupa.co.uk/members/mb-healthy-living/sleep/sleep-right

Find out how sickness absence could be damaging the health of your business bupa.co.uk/business/all-business/workplace-health/workplace-absence-calculator