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02/03/09 Almost 80% of Brits are so exhausted - they would rather have a good night's sleep than sex, a survey reveals
A study of over 8,500 people in GMTV's annual Great British Sleep Census, revealed that 79.2% admit they prefer the thought of extra sleep to scoring between the sheets. The South West came out as the least romantic region of Britain, with the highest percentage of people (83.4%) choosing a good night's sleep over sex.
The research also found a remarkable seven out of 10 Brits have trouble sleeping – and almost a quarter claim they suffer from insomnia. Scotland came out on top for sleep – with the lowest percentage of people, 69%, having trouble nodding off.
Dr Chris Idzikowski, Director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, said: "Disrupted sleep not only impacts on quality of life, but there's an increased risk of higher blood pressure and its consequences – heart attacks and strokes. Many people have jobs that demand a lot of attention – and attention is the first mental ability to deteriorate after a poor night's sleep."
The findings also show that when Brits hit the sack, over 40% are kept awake at night by work worries. Credit crunch anxiety is having an effect too, with 30% blaming money matters for depriving them of sleep.
According to the study, only 12% of those surveyed admitted to getting eight hours kip, yet almost 40% believe they need eight hours of sleep to function. Dr Idzikowski explained: "Some people think they can manage on less – but really they aren't performing or feeling as well as they might. The average for adults is around 7.5 hours, so those 40% are right – they understand that they're not functioning properly."
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