The poll, which surveyed 4,000 adults, revealed that 44% of adults describe themselves as 'sleep deprived'. The national average bedtime is 10:27pm, with people staying up past midnight two nights a week on average. Gen Z goes to bed at 10:41pm on average and stays up past midnight three times a week.
Poor sleep has significant consequences for health and daily life. Among those who experience two weeks or more of poor sleep, 10% gain weight, 24% are overwhelmed by small tasks, and 23% said their mental health suffers. For adults with diagnosed health conditions, the effects are more severe: nearly one in five (18%) find their symptoms worsen, 21% fall ill more easily, and 24% said their memory is impaired. According to the research, 28% of those with a health condition said they would do 'anything' for a good night's rest.
One disturbed night can be enough to throw the body off balance. If poor sleep starts to accumulate, it can heighten emotional reactivity, reduce resilience and can leave the mind and body struggling to cope. It can lower pain thresholds, disrupt repair pathways and affect emotional regulation, with this risk heightened for those living with chronic pain or mental health conditions.
Dr David Garley, a sleep expert, said: 'One disturbed night can be enough to throw the body off balance. If poor sleep starts to accumulate, it can heighten emotional reactivity, reduce resilience and can leave the mind and body struggling to cope. It can lower pain thresholds, disrupt repair pathways and affect emotional regulation, with this risk heightened for those living with chronic pain or mental health conditions.'
Dr Simon Erridge, research director at Curaleaf Clinic, added: 'Poor sleep is a daily struggle for too many people, and for those living with long-term health conditions, the impact can be especially severe. Lack of rest doesn't just leave people tired - it can worsen symptoms, reduce emotional resilience and make everyday life much harder to manage.'
Poor sleep is a daily struggle for too many people, and for those living with long-term health conditions, the impact can be especially severe. Lack of rest doesn't just leave people tired - it can worsen symptoms, reduce emotional resilience and make everyday life much harder to manage.
Many Britons deliberately delay sleep to carve out personal time. Two-thirds of Britons have stayed up later than the rest of their household to enjoy uninterrupted 'me time', with 87% of Gen Z doing so. The survey found that 78% use late evening hours to concentrate without interruption, and 27% are simply more productive at night. Among 18-24 year olds, 54% use hours after 9pm productively for creative work, tasks or life admin, compared with just 7% of Boomers. Gen Z (54%) and Millennials (59%) are more likely to keep working into the early hours than Gen X (40%) and Boomers (39%).
The reasons for pushing back bedtimes vary: 61% do so to binge-watch TV shows, 38% for bedtime reading, 31% for late-night social media scrolling, and 15% to catch up with friends and family. Notably, 44% feel most relaxed after 6pm, rising to 49% among Gen Z and 48% of Millennials.