The majority of the British public need between six and nine hours' sleep a night to feel fully rested, according to a recent survey. 43% claim they need 6-7 hours and another 33% of the population stated they require 8-9 hours to feel fresh the following day. This appears to be consistent with the hours of sleep the public normally get with a huge 79% claiming they get between 6-9 hours each night. However, almost one in five respondents (18%) state that they get a just a maximum of five hours of sleep a night and just seven percent claim that they feel fully rested with this amount.
When asked why they feel they are not getting enough sleep it night it seem the majority of the public are up late worrying, with 58% stating stress as a main cause of their insomnia. Amongst those who cited stress as a reason for their lack of sleep, over half (58%) blamed financial hardship, followed by deadlines at work (33%) and family problems (27%).
The survey also found that the most popular way to drift off to sleep is reading a book or magazine. 30% of respondents claim this helps them the most, followed by watching TV (13%), taking a bath or shower (9%) was also a popular remedy as well as drinking a cup of their favourite hot beverage (8%). However, seven percent desire a more direct approach and would simply pop a sleeping pill.