The high price of sleep problems

Poor sleepers are four times more likely to have relationship problems and three times more likely to be unable to concentrate as those who get enough rest, according to a new report.

Mild, moderate or severe insomnia sufferers also experience energy slumps and are three times more likely to feel low. Not enough sleep over the long term is linked to health problems such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Of more than 5,300 people surveyed for the Great British Sleep Survey, 37 per cent had some form of insomnia and 24 per cent had other sleep-related problems, such as teeth-grinding, sleeping excessively or sleep apnoea, where the airway is obstructed. The findings, contained in a report from the Mental Health Foundation, is believed to be the largest survey of our sleeping habits.

Other published research has put the figure on the number of people suffering insomnia or another sleep problem at around 30 per cent of the population.