Revealed: The true extent of Britain's Covid-induced sleep crisis

New figures seen by The Telegraph show the extent of our night-time troubles. Sleep School guru Dr Guy Meadows explains what to do. source.

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"Even before Covid we were saying we were going through a global epidemic of sleeplessness, and now all of the things which fuel poor sleep have been magnified," he says. "For the majority of people it seems to be worse."

According to a new study, commissioned by the Sleep School, of which Dr Meadows is clinical director and released exclusively to The Daily Telegraph, the nation has been gripped by sleeplessness.

Of the 3,000 respondents (aged between 18 and 85) 42 per cent admitted their sleep had worsened since Covid-19 and 53 per cent said they were now dissatisfied with their sleep. No doubt such statistics will make wearily familiar reading for many who have developed a sudden tendency for grinding their teeth at night or waking up at 3am with Covid-related night terrors.

.Waking up in the early hours

We have evolved to sleep in cycles of around two hours long before briefly awakening to check for danger. When stressed, this can mean waking in the early hours and then struggling to get back to sleep. Understanding that this is normal, says Dr Meadows, helps reduce anxiety.

One tip is to focus on the physical connection between your body and bed to help anchor your attention to the present. Avoid getting up, switching on lights, having a cup of tea, or anything that moves you further away from sleep.