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Britain Gets Four Billion Hours Less Sleep Than 10 Years Ago - Competitive Tiredness Is Partly To Blame

Do You Play The 'Who's More Tired' Game?

If you got six hours of sleep last night you're bound to have a colleague who "only got five."

As a nation we're sleeping significantly less every night than we were 10 years ago and our culture of "competitive commitment" at work could be to blame.

New research has revealed that the population sleeps four billion hours less annually than we did in 2004, meaning Brits are now losing out on a staggering 17 and a half nights of sleep more per person, per year.

It appears we now take pride in how little sleep we get, using it as a badge of honour rather than a cause for concern.

Over a third (36%) of people surveyed admit to competing with colleagues about lack of sleep with women being the more competitive sex.

In the survey, conducted by Premier Inn, 25-34 year olds were found to be the most guilty of engaging in "competitive tiredness."

More than half of people in this age group (57%) admit to competing with colleagues about how little sleep they achieve a night.

A further 25% of 25-34 year olds exaggerate about how early they rise to impress their boss. Journalists, politicians and scientists are the professions where competitive tiredness is most rife.

The research suggests our widespread lack of sleep may also be caused by our increasingly strained work-life balance and the 'always on' culture caused by ubiquitous technology.

The majority of people (69%) feel they have to compromise sleep to get everything achieved in a day.

A further 83% of people wake up early to check emails and get prepared for the working day.

Earlier this year the University of Oxford's Great British Sleep Survey linked sleep deprivation to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, obesity, anxiety and depression.

The Huffington Post's founder Arianna Huffington says the best way to succeed in business is to "sleep your way to the top...literally."

To be your best self, you need to be rested. It's time we stopped showing off about how little sleep we're getting and started being proud of our seven hours plus of shut-eye.

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