Sleep has become the official buzzword of 2019, yet the average Brit only gets 5 hours and 36 minutes uninterrupted sleep a night - despite the fact that the NHS advises we get around 8-hours of good quality sleep.
Fight for your right to sleep!
Research released today, by the sleep wellness brand eve sleep, forms part of their current campaign lobbying the UK government to recognise sleep as a fundamental human right. It outlines the growing issue of social and environmental factors impacting the nation’s sleep.
The poll of 2,000 UK adults reveals a backing for a change in the law with over three-quarters (77%) of Brits stating that the right to sleep should be considered a fundamental human right along with six in ten (60%) respondents surprised sleep is not currently protected under a court of law. Additionally, over half (55%) of Brits believe that making sleep a fundamental human right would help other people respect the importance of a good night’s sleep.
The research also uncovered further insights into the wider environmental noises disrupting sleep including one in five (20%) Brits being woken up by dogs barking, just over one in ten tossing and turning due to loud music (13%) and road traffic (17%).
When experience poor sleep due to external noise, shockingly over three-fifths (63%) of Brits are unaware of their legal rights around making an official noise complaint. And of those who were aware of their rights, over three in ten (31%) have never made an official complaint - even though they’ve wanted to.
Sleep is one of the three core pillars of wellbeing, alongside nutrition and physical fitness, and this is being increasingly recognised by Britons, with over half (58%) of those polled expressing worry about the potential negative impact a lack of sleep can have on mental and physical health.
In today’s society, we are taking our work to bed with us, with a horrifying seven in ten (68%) Brits experiencing sleepless nights due to concerns over workload. The study also reveals that financial concerns (20%) are disturbing sleep, closely followed by sleep troubles due to workplace anxiety (18%) and longer working hours (13%).
Surprisingly, of those surveyed almost six in ten (58%) agree that their employers have a responsibility to respect their employees’ quality of sleep.
Age also plays a key factor in the fight for better sleep, as shockingly almost a fifth (18%) of respondents aged over 55 reveal that they don’t get a good night’s sleep at all during the week, in comparison to almost a quarter (23%) of 18 – 24 year old Brits who cite getting at least three ‘good night’s sleep’ a week.
The West Midlands is the nation’s most sleep deprived region with an average of just five hours and 18 minutes sleep, however East Anglia (five hours and 22 minutes) and the South West (five hours and 23 minutes) were not far behind on the lack of sleep front. In fact, whilst the North East and the South East are the ‘UK’s most sleep well’, they still only manage to achieve on average five hours and 45 minutes of sleep per night.
James Sturrock, CEO of eve sleep said:
“At eve sleep we are on a mission to help the nation understand that everyone has a right to good sleep and the positive effect it has on our mental and physical wellbeing each day. Whilst scientific evidence is irrefutable as to its importance, there is surprisingly no protection of the right to sleep in law. We hope our campaign encourages the UK to join us in pressuring the government to recognise the right to sleep as a fundamental human right, protecting sleep, and sleep wellness for everyone”.
Leading health care practitioner Dave Gibson said:
“We are now in a sleep deprivation epidemic, largely driven by our 24/7 digitally connected lifestyle . In simple terms modern society fails to value sleep as the essential part of health and well-being (along with food and exercise). I have consistently found that lack of sleep leads to a decrease in motivation, a decline in performance, has both short and serious long term effects on health. Ultimately chronic lack of sleep can even shorten our lifespan. I am looking forward to working with eve sleep and wider partners to help educate and encourage Brits to fight for the right for sleep to be considered as a fundamental human right”.
As part of the social mission to change the policy, eve sleep has assembled a team of independent experts to act as a think-tank around the proposed legislation and will produce a white paper detailing the impact it will have on the country should the law change in 2020. The general public can get involved with the movement by signing the petition at: http://chng.it/DvpyjBQ4JS
In August 2019, eve sleep published an open letter to Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, The Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP, calling on him to support the campaign to recognise sleep as a human right, and amend the Human Rights Act 1998. The brand is now gathering together experts, businesses, community groups and charitable organisations across the country to make a difference to Britain’s relationship with sleep.
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