Katherine Hall, UK-based Sleep Psychologist and Sleep Coach, urges Brits to prioritise getting a good night’s rest to reduce disruption caused by returning to the office. To help you improve the quality of your sleep, we asked some experts for their top tips. You can do this in a variety of ways including investing in a quality blackout blind, wearing earplugs or sleeping with the window open. The most important thing to do is identify which variable is making it hard for you to sleep - whether it’s environmental noise, light pollution or discomfort - and take steps to mitigate it. Whether you work regular night shifts as a driver, health care professional, or security personnel, you can rest assured there are steps you can take to increase the chances of you getting a good night’s sleep, aside from cutting down on work. In fact, the study found that as well as reporting the highest levels of light pollution and temperature fluctuations, Central London is the most overworked city based on average working hours per week, while Newcastle boasts the best work/life balance. These conclusions were drawn based on MET Office data on average daily temperatures, mean minimum daily temperatures, and mean maximum daily temperatures.Įven in areas that report low levels of disruption due to light and discomfort, poor sleep quality can also be aggravated by longer working hours, or other external factors outside of our direct control. Meanwhile, the North East sees the least fluctuation in heat and the lowest temperatures.Īt city-level, Central London reports the highest average temperatures and the broadest fluctuation, while Newcastle-Upon-Tyne is the least disrupted overall. The East of England sees the highest average temperatures and the most fluctuation, making it the region most affected by discomfort However, one of the most impactful factors on sleep quality is temperature.īased on climate data, the study also pinpointed which parts of England see the worst sleep quality due to high average temperatures and fluctuations in heat. There are many factors that cause discomfort when trying to sleep, including stress, caffeine intake and mattress quality. Sun hours is a climatological indicator that illustrates the physical quantity of sunshine in a given area, and is represented by the MET Office as hours per year. These findings were based on the annual sun hours in each region and city, as reported by the MET Office, and average brightness values pulled from the Earth Observation Group. Leeds is the least disrupted city overall. When it comes to the largest cities in each region, Norwich comes second for the most light disruption behind Central London, followed by Birmingham and Brighton. The North East comes out on top as the region least likely to experience sleep disruption caused by light.Greater London is the region that suffers the most from light exposure - likely due to its far higher levels of light pollution.Using UK climate averages and light pollution data, the study determined which parts of England are the most likely to experience sleep disruption due to light exposure. This is unfortunate, as night skies in major urban areas are subject to higher levels of light pollution which makes it harder to sleep well. Light Pollution: The Impact on Sleep QualityĪrtificial light is known to disrupt our sleep-wake-cycles.

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