More than half of us are unable to get a good night’s rest, say researchers following a major study.

研究人员在一项大型研究中发现，超过半数的英国人晚上睡不好觉。

They warn that the lack of sleep is having a serious knock-on effect on our health.

Sleep expert Professor Colin Espie, of the University of Glasgow and co-founder of the organisation¹ Sleepio, has collated² interviews with 12,000 adults in Britain’s largest study of sleep patterns.

'Insomnia³ affects people’s quality of life during the day, not just their sleep at night,’ he said.

'Living with poor sleep and its consequences is not only very common, but it is in all likelihood degrading Britain’s health.’

In total, 51 percent of adults struggle to nod off（打盹） or remain asleep. Women suffer far more than men, with 75 percent reporting problems compared with 25 percent of men.

The survey found that 55 percent of adults reported relationship difficulties as a result, it affected⁴ the concentration of 77 percent, 64 percent said they were less productive at work, 83 percent had mood problems and 93 percent lacked energy.

Professor Espie, who believes better treatment for sleep deprivation⁵ should be available on the NHS, added: ‘This is not a trivial matter. Persistent⁶ poor sleep elevates the risk of developing new illnesses.

'This has been shown in disorders⁷ such as diabetes⁸, but also very convincingly（令人信服地） in depression.’

He added that a quarter of those with insomnia had suffered for more than 11 years.

Another survey of 3,000 adults found that 70 percent of people believe they don’t get enough sleep and 57 percent lie awake at night worried about work or money.

The result is that one in ten check work emails, 6 percent wake up their partner if they can't sleep, 26 percent listen to soothing⁹ music and 18 percent believe having sex helps.

The study, commissioned by the retailer¹⁰ IKEA, found that half of people blamed a poor mattress¹¹（床垫，褥子） for a bad night’s sleep.

But more women seemed to avoid any problems, with 21 percent regularly getting more than eight hours' sleep compared to just 14 percent of men.

It also discovered that one in ten adults go to bed with a teddy bear.