UK's 'junk sleep' epidemic: Thousands of Britons forced to skip work due to exhaustion

No, not junk food - junk sleep. A quarter of Britons suffer so badly from poor-quality sleep that they are forced to take days off work because of exhaustion, a study suggests.

A poll of 4,000 adults found that only 21 per cent are getting a decent eight hours, while one in five gets less than five hours' a night.

'Junk sleep': A harmful result of today's busy lifestyles

Experts have coined the term "junk sleep" to describe the problem.

Stress, noisy neighbours, money worries and long working hours are to blame for the sleeplessness epidemic, as well as the more conventional complaints of muscle cramps, indigestion and small children, researchers say.

Dr Chris Idzikowski, of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, said junk sleep was so common it was costing the economy millions of pounds.

"The body needs quality sleep for learning new skills and mental agility," said Dr Idzikowski, who came up with the term.

"Sleep interruptions such as stress and muscle cramp disturb this function and can be very detrimental to everyday life, making it impossible to be productive at work and maintain a positive attitude."

Previous studies have suggested that those who do not get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight or obese.

The poll, commissioned by the nocturnal cramp treatment Crampex, suggests that 15million workers suffer from junk sleep and take days off work to compensate.

Forty-six per cent said they typically got six hours or less each night, while 20 per cent survived on less than five hours' .

Two thirds were "regularly" kept awake by stress and worry, with money the most common source of anxiety, followed by work, family problems and health.

Even when asleep, most can't escape their work, with 52 per cent admitting they regularly dream about their job.

In total, three quarters said they wake up feeling exhausted because of junk sleep or simply a lack of sleep.

Eight in ten complained of muscle cramp, while half were kept awake because they were either too hot or too cold.

Forty-three per cent complained of noisy neighbours, 31 per cent said back pain kept them up, and a similar number had trouble sleeping because their partner snored.

A quarter suffered from indigestion or heartburn, 24 per cent said their children kept them awake and 16 per cent complained about traffic noise.