Sunday 'worst sleep' of the week

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Sunday is the hardest night of the week to get a good, undisturbed sleep, research suggests.

The study of 3,500 adults, commissioned by the hotel chain Travelodge, found nearly 60% of workers have their worst night's sleep on a Sunday.

More than a quarter of those surveyed admitted to calling in sick on Monday after having a dreadful night's sleep.

The survey also found as many as 80% of people slept soundest on a Friday night, at the end of the working week.

What your body really wants is to go to bed and get up at the same time each day Dr Neil StanleyNorfolk and Norwich University Hospital

Disrupted sleep has been blamed for a lack of concentration at work, increased irritability towards bosses and even for falling asleep at the desk.

Nearly half of those questioned said they suffered from a lack of concentration which lead to mistakes, one in three became irritable with their boss and colleagues and a fifth said they had nodded off at some point.

Up to 23 million British workers claim to lose an hour's sleep every night because they dread going to work the next day, research has shown.

Dealing with a difficult boss, having to give an important presentation and missing a work deadline were all given as causes of disrupted sleep in by respondents to the latest survey.

Many reasons

Dr Neil Stanley, a Sleep Expert from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, said worry about work was one reason for a restless night - but certainly not the only one when it comes to a difficult Sunday night.

He said: "Sleeping patterns have been messed up by having lie ins and late nights, people don't tend to do much physical or mental activity on a Sunday, and there is likely to be a big meal that will sit heavy on the stomach."

Dr Stanley said the best way to combat insomnia was to be awake and active during the day and to keep sleep patterns fairly constant.

"What your body really wants is to go to bed and get up at the same time each day."