by Quaeck's
•
23 May 2020
More people admit they’re unhappy with the quality of their sleep and the effect it is having on their ability to function daily, according to a survey conducted by a collaboration involving The Sleep Charity and Sleepstation . The team surveyed more than 2,700 people - five weeks into the UK's lockdown - to find out the current state of the nation’s sleep. The National Sleep Survey findings revealed: Close to half of the respondents ( 43% ) are now finding it harder to fall asleep Unease around the current situation negatively affects sleep for three quarters of people ( 75% ) More than one in 10 people ( 12% ) are experiencing severe symptoms of depression Women were much more likely to report depressive symptoms in the moderate-severe range than men Alarmingly over three quarters ( 77% ) say lack of sleep is interfering with their ability to function in the day Women are suffering more than men with anxiety around coronavirus Women are twice as likely to report feeling stressed compared to men More than a third ( 33% ) of participants are experiencing more vivid dreams Women also report having more vivid dreams Sleeping well is crucial to our physical and mental health and well-being. With people experiencing signs of depression and reporting that lack of sleep is impacting on their mood, concentration and how tired they feel in the day, The Sleep Council are suggesting the government to take action. "We have been exposed to lots of government advice around diet, exercise and how to look after our mental health during these challenging times. However, we’ve not heard anything concrete around sleep – and it has never been more important." - Sleep Council The survey also suggested that the coronavirus was affecting all aspects of sleep. Nearly four in 10 people ( 39% ) are now going to bed later On average, the duration of sleep participants got each night is shorter than normal Nearly a third of participants ( 30% ) are waking up earlier than normal Significantly, women find it harder to fall asleep ( 46% ) with men more likely to report no change to sleep duration Five weeks into lockdown, close to half ( 45% ) found there is no change to how difficult they find it to stay asleep. However, the other half ( 46% ) of respondents found that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to stay asleep, suggesting that this problem could get worse as lockdown continues. And women ( 40% ) – who already find it harder to fall asleep – also have greater difficulty staying asleep than men ( 33% ). Given that millions of Britons have been impacted by the coronavirus in some way, it’s no wonder three quarters of those surveyed feel ‘ corona-anxiety ’ is affecting their sleep. Women ( 41% ) are almost twice as likely to report this feeling than men ( 26% ) – this may be down to juggling ‘ home schooling ’ and working from home. Sleep is hard when anxiety levels are high it seems. The survey findings come amid rising concern that these unprecedented times are causing a surge in sleep issues . A lack of support, or lack of awareness of the help available for those issues, could have a lasting impact on the people of Britain. Not surprisingly, an inconsistent sleep schedule, coupled with stress , is leading to a number of issues around sleep . What the Sleep Council found most troubling to learn was that more than half of the respondents were unsure where to go for help. With 41% of participants clamming to have a sleep problem, this is of particular concern for services that are ready and able to offer help. Below (click the gold text) are some websites that might help you if you have experienced any sleep problems lately.