The study was conducted by the team behind wellness start-up www.OsenaLondon.com, who polled just over 2,400 British adults in full-time work about the industry they work in, their average working hours, how stressed they feel on a day-to-day basis, and other factors that may impact the quality of their sleep.
NHS workers reported the worst night’s sleep, with 78% of those working in the healthcare sector claiming they get fewer than seven hours’ sleep a night. Following closely behind healthcare employees, 67% of farmers also reported getting fewer than seven hours.
When it came to stress levels, those working in the NHS also reported the highest levels, with 77% claiming they feel ‘overwhelmed and unable to cope’. More than two thirds of those working in the education sector (68%) – which includes primary and secondary school teachers as well as university lecturers – also fell into the ‘overwhelmed and unable to cope bracket’.
Following behind these, the other sectors that reported the highest stress levels include:
• Media and Communications (Journalists, Communication Officers, Public Relations Executives, etc.) – 57% (of people in this profession reported high levels of stress)
• Emergency Services (Police officers, Paramedics, Firefighters, etc.) – 42%
• Construction (Bricklayers, Plasterers, Scaffolders, etc.) – 39%
• Transport (Rail, Bus, Taxi Drivers, etc.) – 27%
• Hospitality (Chefs, Waitresses, Managers, etc.) – 22%
However, the study did also show that there are jobs that not only carry low levels of stress, but also help to ensure that employees get a good night’s sleep; according to the National Sleep Foundation guidelines, healthy adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night.
Of those working in the creative industry, 72% claimed they didn’t feel stressed, while 89% reported getting more than seven hours’ sleep per night. Of these, 51% are artists, 11% are graphic designers and 10% are musicians.
Also reporting low levels of stress and a substantial night’s sleep were revealed to be:
• Massage therapists – 65% (of people in this profession get more than seven hours’ sleep per night)
• Librarians – 63%
• Academics – 59%
Having ‘full autonomy’ over their lifestyles was the most common reason for why they felt less stressed and could therefore sleep better at night.
Kiran Bhondi, Founder of wellness start-up www.OsenaLondon.com, commented on the findings:
“After a very intense year for healthcare workers across the world, it’s unsurprising to see that workers in this sector have been the most stressed, and therefore suffered with the worst levels of sleep. It can be really difficult to make time for yourself in an industry like this, particularly during a global pandemic. As we start to ease out of this third lockdown and hospital admissions reduce, it’s important that everyone working in the NHS takes some well-deserved time for themselves; try and book some time off or use your spare time to do things that will make you feel relaxed and unwind.”
