Are you Getting Enough Sleep?

Adults in the UK are under-sleeping by an hour every night, a recent poll has found.

20:50 05 April 2016

A poll participated by 2,000 adults in the UK found that the average time we spend asleep is 6.8 hours, more than an hour less than what is ideal.

 

According to the Royal Society for Public Health, the lack of sleep triggers depression and put people at risk of developing medical conditions including coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and incident stroke.

 

Shirley Cramer CBE, Chief Executive of RSPH, said: “We do need to wake up to the benefits of sleep - there is a wealth of evidence that lack of sleep is damaging the public’s health. 

 

“Poor sleep and sleep disorders impact on our ability to lead a healthy lifestyle and are associated with a range of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart attack and depression.”

 

Due to growing concerns, members of the public are now calling for the introduction of a national sleep guidance time so people are informed about the importance of sleep.

 

“The ‘slumber number’ is a guideline range of hours people should be aiming to get each night – 7-9 hours for most adults. 

 

“Everyone is slightly different, but the overwhelming majority of people should be falling within this range,” the spokesperson said.