Worries keep us awake 100 hours every year

New research shows the average person in the UK will lay awake at night with their minds racing for over 100 hours each year.

Deciding how to resolve a problem with friends or family (32 per cent), worrying over an issue at work (29 per cent) and concerns over having enough money saved for a rainy day (26 per cent) are the most common problems keeping us awake at night.

The study, conducted by Barclays Plan & Invest, set out to discover how long Brits are left lying awake thinking about decisions and life problems. Turns out, we spend just over two hours a week tossing and turning over difficult decisions, with women kept awake half an hour longer than men.

While a bad night’s sleep is universally unpopular, the study showed that women feel the effects more strongly. On average, people report feeling mentally drained (42 per cent), physically weaker (30 per cent) and more prone to anxiety (26 per cent) after a sleepless night, with women displaying these symptoms more often.

Aston spoke to Dr Pete Brooks, behavioural scientist at Barclays to discuss the research in further detail.