Dreams has released a new sleep study to get a snapshot into the UK’s sleep habits.
The Dreams study has revealed that Brits get 6.4 hours of sleep each night, and 37% of them are being kept awake by racing thoughts.
A recent sleep study conducted by Dreams has found the surprising reason why you’re being kept awake every night – and it’s not overheating.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – sleep is one of the most important things to prioritise if you want to take better care of yourself. It’s vital for your physical and mental health, and determines your mood, productivity, appetite and much more.
Sadly, sleep tends to be the biggest thing that people sacrifice or put off when they’re busy or stressed. But why? To find out more, Dreams’ team of experts, including Siobhan King, Chief Marketing Officer at Dreams, and Sammy Margo, Dreams’ resident Sleep Expert, recently conducted its annual sleep survey and the results were surprising.
The survey looked at 2,000 UK adults and their sleeping habits, and found that on average, Brits spend 7.2 hours in bed each night and get about 6.4 hours of actual sleep. While this is smaller than the recommended eight hours, this is over 20 minutes more sleep than the average reported in 2024.
In terms of restfulness, the results were quite disheartening, as only 5% reported feeling refreshed after waking up from a night’s sleep. 27% said they felt refreshed often but that left 24% of people saying they rarely felt refreshed while 6% said they never experienced that feeling.
A positive take away from the Dreams sleep study is that people’s sleep hygiene is improving. 35% said they read before bed to help them wind down which beat social media scrolling which fell to 29%.
But the thing I found most intriguing was the reason why many people are kept awake at night. In 2024, overheating was the main culprit but now, it’s racing thoughts. The study found that 37% of people lie awake from racing thoughts, 28% said it was because of stress, while feeling too hot dropped from 37% in 2024 to 24%.
As a sleep expert and chronic worrier, I’ve listed three ways to stop your racing thoughts so you can get a better night’s sleep.
How to stop racing thoughts
1. Take time to unwind before bed
Having a reliable nighttime routine can do wonders for your racing thoughts. Instead of working late into the night or dwelling on tomorrow, take time to give yourself some personal care and attention. This can include watching your favourite TV show, reading a book, taking a bath, making a nourishing meal and enjoying time with your partner.
2. Try the 4-7-8 breathing method
As someone who deals with anxiety, I use the 4-7-8 method whenever I’m feeling stressed and it does wonders for my stress levels, especially if I’m finding it hard to sleep. To try 4-7-8 breathing, it involves inhaling for four, holding for seven and exhaling for eight. For a full tutorial and why it’s beneficial, check out our guide to the 4-7-8 method.
3. Journal
Sometimes, it can help to get all your racing thoughts out of your head and down on paper. That’s where journaling comes in. It can feel very therapeutic to write down your worries and stress rather than letting it dwell and fester in your head.
