Lack of sleep blamed for health issues

Poor sleepers are four times more likely to have relationship problems and three times more likely to be unable to concentrate as those who get enough rest, according to a new report.

Mild, moderate or severe insomnia also causes issues with getting things done, while sufferers experience energy slumps and are three times more likely to feel low.

Not enough sleep over the long term is also linked to health problems such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Of more than 5,300 people surveyed for the Great British Sleep Survey, 37 per cent had some form of insomnia and 24 per cent had other sleep-related problems such as teeth-grinding, sleeping excessively or sleep apnoea, where the airway is obstructed and people can struggle for breath.

Only 39 per cent of the total sample said they slept well.

The findings, contained in a new Sleep Matters report from the Mental Health Foundation, are based on what is believed to be the biggest ever survey of sleeping habits in the UK.

Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the charity, said: "Sleep has for too long been neglected as a major influence on the physical and mental health of the nation."