Biggest causes of sleepless nights revealed in new study
The biggest causes of a restless night's sleep include feeling stressed, fretting over finances and never being quite the right temperature.
A study of 2,000 adults found 38% suffer from poor sleep due to having an uncomfortable mattress, while 36% struggle because of their partner’s snoring.
Sleep patterns are also often ruined by traffic noise, light coming in from the window and caffeinated drinks before bedtime.
Mobile phones also have a big impact, with scrolling through social media (14%), playing games (12%), and reading (13%) on their devices pre-bedtime also leading to a bad night.
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Dr David Lee, clinical director at Sleep Unlimited and author of 'Teaching the World to Sleep', said: “We’ve seen big changes to people’s routines as a result of the pandemic. It is no surprise that many people are struggling to maintain or establish a good bedtime routine. Bad sleepers need to declutter the bedroom by establishing the bedroom as simply for sleep.
"Get dressed in a different room, read in a different room, use electrical devices in a different room. Then, over time, you’ll start to associate the bed in the bedroom with nothing but sleep.”
The study, commissioned by furniture retailer DFS, also found more than a quarter of adults (28%) are also dissatisfied with the number of hours of sleep they’re getting.
While 18% admitted their sleeping routine has worsened since the pandemic.
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More than half of those (53%) put this down to feeling more worried and anxious about everyday issues, and 20% found it difficult to switch off from reading news notifications on their phone.
However, one in five said their quality of sleep has improved since March 2020, with 28% of those investing more time into their bedtime routine and relaxing in the evening.
Working from home has also helped 27% to sleep better, and 30% are able to sleep in longer.
The research, conducted via OnePoll, revealed the typical bedtime routine consists of going to the toilet, brushing teeth, and checking if all the doors are locked and lights are off in the house.
The average adult’s bedtime prep takes 32 mins to complete, but they then spend an additional 22 minutes trying to fall asleep.
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It also emerged a third of adults claim to nod off more quickly when reading a physical book or magazine, with 18% admitting they tend to fall asleep much slower when playing video games before bed.
A spokesperson for DFS added: “It’s clear that using our devices - whether it's our mobile phones, game consoles or watching TV - can have an adverse effect on how quickly or slowly we can fall asleep.
“That’s why it is important to have a more set routine which does not involve using digital screens and focuses on establishing a comfortable sleeping environment, from the mattress you lie on to the darkness of your bedroom.”
Additional reporting by SWNS
