TikTok therapist Dr Julie Smith on Gateway 97.8

Nearly one in three (28%) teenagers have suffered sleep problems during the pandemic with a third (33%) taking action to aid their sleeping, including turning to sleeping pills, CBD and counselling.

The new research commissioned by the UK’s leading bed retailer Dreams reveals pandemic-driven anxiety is the biggest factor causing poor sleep with 30% feeling more anxious or stressed and one in five (17%) reporting poorer mental health since the beginning on the pandemic.

Fears surrounding future prospects (49%) and the shift to remote learning (54%) were main causes for anxiety over the last 12 months, closely followed by changes to exam timetables (36%) and not being able to attend school or college (33%). 

As a result of these anxieties and sleep problems, one in three (33%) have taken matters into their own hands and taken steps to try and sleep better.

Ros spoke to Dr Julie Smith – dubbed the ‘TikTok therapist’ for her work reaching online audiences with bite-sized mental health advice: