Over 200,000 working days lost due to a lack of sleep

A lack of sleep is costing the UK economy up to £40billion a year, according to new research.

RAND Europe has found that sleep deprivation is resulting in a combination of absenteeism and presenteeism that equates to over 200,000 working days lost annually.

The findings also show that there is a higher mortality risk for those not sleeping enough. A person who sleeps on average less than six hours a night has a 13% higher mortality risk than someone sleeping between seven and nine hours per night – the ‘healthy daily sleep range’.

Why Sleep Matters – The Economic Costs of Insufficient Sleep, shows that even if workers were to increase their nightly sleep from less than six hours to between six and seven hours, this could add £24billion to the UK economy.

Marco Hafner, a research leader at RAND Europe and the report's main author, says: “Our study shows that the effects from a lack of sleep are massive. Sleep deprivation not only influences an individual's health and wellbeing but has a significant impact on a nation's economy, with lower productivity levels and a higher mortality risk among workers.”