Recent NHS statistics shockingly show that a staggering one in three people in the United Kingdom are grappling with insomnia.
This startling figure draws attention to the often-overlooked link between poor sleep and diminished workplace performance, highlighting a critical area for employee wellbeing focus.
The impact of insufficient sleep on concentration, memory, and overall job satisfaction underscores the necessity for employers to prioritise sleep health in their wellbeing strategies.
Google has witnessed a surge in searches, with ‘how to sleep better’ being queried 17,000 times and ‘sleep tips’ nearly 15,000 times over the past 30 days alone.
Curious about the numbers, BonusFinder investigated which major cities in the UK struggle the most with sleep. By analysing NHS data for each city and examining Google searches for insomnia-related questions, a comprehensive sleep score has been calculated, revealing the most sleepless city in the UK.
The United Kingdom’s Top 10 Sleepless Cities
| Rank | City | Insomnia drug prescriptions
per 100000 population |
SV for insomnia related questions
per 100000 population |
Sleepless Score /10 |
| 1 | Birmingham | 325.43 | 350.1 | 8.0 |
| 2 | Nottingham | 148.98 | 244.5 | 7.2 |
| 3 | Bradford | 85.37 | 383.9 | 7.0 |
| 4 | Sheffield | 46.90 | 524.9 | 5.8 |
| 5 | London | 54.31 | 219.2 | 5.7 |
| 6 | Portsmouth | 8.70 | 972.0 | 5.2 |
| 7 | Southampton | 8.49 | 816.8 | 4.3 |
| 8 | Manchester | 35.63 | 90.7 | 4.2 |
| 9 | Newcastle upon tyne | 4.36 | 707.3 | 3.5 |
| 10 | Liverpool | 1.44 | 619.2 | 2.7 |
| 11 | Leeds | 0.25 | 372.1 | 1.5 |
Scoring the highest in the study, Birmingham emerges as the most sleep-deprived city in the UK, garnering a sleepless score of 8 out of 10. Data reveals that approximately 325 out of every 100,000 residents in Birmingham grapple with insomnia, resorting to prescription drugs for relief. Furthermore, residents of Birmingham conduct around 350 insomnia-related searches per month per 100,000 individuals.
Nottingham clinched the runner-up position with a Sleepless Score of 7.2 out of 10. It stands as the second most affected city by insomnia in the study, with 148 out of every 100,000 residents grappling with the issue. Nottingham residents display a notable concern for sleep, evident in their monthly average of 244 searches for insomnia-related queries.
Bradford is the third city in the ranking of sleepless cities, scoring 7 out of 10. It has one of the highest numbers of people with insomnia in the study – 85 out of every 100,000 residents. The data also reveals that people in Bradford are actively searching for information about insomnia, making 383 searches each month.
Leaders – time to wake up!
To address the crucial link between sleep and workplace performance, leaders can adopt several strategies to promote better sleep hygiene among employees. First, implementing and encouraging flexible working hours can allow individuals to work during their peak hours of alertness, catering to different chronotypes and improving overall sleep quality.
Additionally, creating and disseminating educational content on the importance of sleep, along with practical tips for improving sleep hygiene, can empower employees to make changes beneficial to their sleep patterns.
Joanne is the editor for Workplace Wellbeing Professional and has a keen interest in promoting the safety and wellbeing of the global workforce. After earning a bachelor's degree in English literature and media studies, she taught English in China and Vietnam for two years. Before joining Work Well Pro, Joanne worked as a marketing coordinator for luxury property, where her responsibilities included blog writing, photography, and video creation.