Sleep Calm & Carry On

Bensons is doing all it can to help Brits to ‘Sleep Calm and Carry On’ as some new research we’ve been busy working on seems to indicate that the UK is caught up in a tiredness epidemic. What’s more, our research suggests that as many as 9 in 10 of us are suffering from ‘Tanger’. Yes, we coined that word. Basically it translates to being angry from tiredness.

Anyway, in light of this, we popped our heads together with our resident sleep expert Dr Sophie Bostock. And together, we’re come up with new sleep improvement programme. The aim of this sleep programme is to offer Brits some much-needed support in their bid to fight their tiredness.

The sleep programme takes readers and watchers through 6 short, bite-sized articles and/or videos. We want to help educate people on the importance of sleep. And how it impacts our mental and physical health. Plus, with Dr Sophie Bostock’s expertise, we’re able to give you some of the tools you need to be able to unwind, relax and optimise their sleep. All in the name of ensuring you get the best night’s sleep possible.

The Sleep Calm & Carry On programme explained

In video or article number one, Dr Sophie Bostock helps to demystify if a lack of sleep is resulting in more of us feeling tired or angry, or both.

Moving onto video or article number two and our sleep expert explains how using a sleep diary to help track sleep patterns could help.

And when we get to step three, we’ll be explaining why a consistent sleep routine is key and how you can try to implement more consistency in your day to day.

Insert number four introduces some tips on how to get back to sleep if you wake up in the middle of the night.

Step five focuses on Dr Sophie Bostock will provide some of the tools needed to help you better unwind before bed.

And finally, in chapter six Dr Sophie Bostock will explain how to get more energy during the day.

How the Sleep Calm & Carry On programme came about

We’ve conducted some pretty revealing research into the extent of the UK’s tiredness. And the signs of being tired generally include slower reaction speeds, getting words muddled, and even putting an item of clothing on inside out.

What’s more it seems that when people are fatigued, they are also feeling angry 22% of the time too.

And 74% of those who took part in our survey have also apologised for their ‘tangry’ behaviour. FYI, signs of your suffering from both tiredness and angriness combined include blowing small issues into something much bigger, complaining more often than usual, and being impatient.

Check out more interesting stats in our dedicated tangry survey results infographic.

Why being tired and feeling grumpy are linked

Our sleep expert, Dr Sophie Bostock, explains; “Our sleep, wellbeing and behaviour are intimately linked. A lack of sleep can alter the emotional control centres of the brain, making us more sensitive to stress, and reducing self-control. Some people become more impulsive and aggressive. This survey is also a valuable reminder that many of us can feel like a different person when we are sleep deprived and can lash out in ways we later regret. “

“If your friend, colleague, or partner is acting out of character, instead of reacting negatively, consider asking them how they are sleeping. Prioritizing your sleep is a powerful way to improve mental health. We've created a short series of bite-sized videos to help people understand the impact of sleep deprivation and some simple tools to restore healthy sleep patterns. Our goal is to help people sleep well, wake up feeling more energized, and thrive in their daily lives.”

Additional research to support our “Tangry” theory

Our research also revealed that 30% of people suffering from tiredness have had it result in rowing with a partner. 26% of those surveyed admitted to cancelling their social plans. And 14% of tired Brits have been known to snap at colleagues too.

As well as this, 57% of people admit that being tired alters their mood, while tiredness also has an overarching impact on concentration (50%), appetite (27%), and relationships (27%). Furthermore, 18% of us feel that our whole personality changes when we’re feeling fatigued.

Perhaps ironically, ‘tired’ was the most common feeling (43%) amongst those surveyed when we posed the question “How do you feel when you wake up each morning?”. This was followed by “feeling refreshed” which 18% of those being polled selected and “happy” which was the answer selected by 15%.

The survey also seems to indicate that the typical adult in the UK only manages six and a half hours sleep each night. And many of us seem to wake up at least twice during the night, with the temperature (51%) and pain or discomfort (50%) being the cause for sleep disruptions.

Lisa Richards, our Head of Marketing at Bensons says: “Whether it’s crying at the slightest thing (30%) or swearing under your breath about everything (30%) we are all guilty of having a ‘tangry’ episode now and again. And we’re hoping that our brand-new ‘Sleep Calm and Cary On’ plan will help people to alleviate this and get the best night’s sleep possible every night.”

Top 30 signs you’re tired

Wondering whether you’re suffering from a lack of sleep? Here are the top signs that you need to watch out for:

1. Can’t stop yawning
2. Struggling to concentrate
3. Getting easily annoyed at others
4. Getting a headache
5. Having slower than usual reaction speeds
6. Snapping/yelling at others for no apparent reason
7. Getting words muddled up when talking
8. Having 'cotton wool brain’
9. Forgetting why you walked into a room
10. Not hearing your alarm go off
11. Not finding anything funny
12. Getting the day of the week/date muddled up
13. Drinking more coffee than usual
14. Having no patience for shop/café staff
15. Going the wrong way (e.g. walking or driving)
16. Blinking more than often
17. Putting cereal in the fridge and milk in the cereal cupboard
18. Calling someone the wrong name
19. Tripping over
20. Not realising the lights have changed at traffic lights
21. Misplacing your phone
22. Putting an item of clothing on inside out
23. Forgetting about a meeting e.g. social or work meeting
24. Increased appetite
25. Forgetting where you parked
26. Walking into cupboards/doors
27. Sending an email to the wrong person
28. Forgetting to turn the oven off
29. Picking up/using the wrong toiletries e.g. shampoo instead of shower gel
30. Leaving the house in slippers instead of shoes

Top 20 signs you’re ‘tangry’

Now, here are some of the signs you want to look out for carefully as whether you resonate with 1, 2, 3, or all of the signs and symptoms here, you too could be suffering from a combination of angriness and tiredness. Yes, some of them overlap with general tiredness symptoms. But as Dr Sophie Bostock explained earlier on, our emotions and our sleep quality are closely linked.

You’re likely ‘tangry’ if:

1. You tend to overreact about small issues
2. You're complaining more often
3. You are impatient in general
4. You're snapping at others
5. You lose patience with technology like laptops, phones etc
6. You find it difficult to concentrate at work
7. You cry/get emotional at the littlest thing
8. You swear under your breath about everything
9. You eat rubbish food in a bid to cheer yourself up
10. You row with your partner
11. You’re completely unreasonable
12. You get annoyed if someone else makes a mistake
13. You shout/lose your temper with the children
14. You have less patience with shop workers and waiting staff
15. You feel like different person - your personality changes
16. You often get the wrong end of the stick
17. You throw things in frustration
18. You seem to constantly apologise for snapping/being rude
19. You become an aggressive driver
20. You cancel social plans

Top 10 ‘tangriest’ cities

Something else we were keen to uncover was whether there was any correlation between being ‘tangy’ and your location in the UK. Turns out there definitely is! Here are the top 10 tangriest cities in the UK:

1. Brighton & Hove
2. Belfast
3. Cardiff
4. Liverpool
5. Oxford
6. Sheffield
7. Southampton
8. Birmingham
9. Edinburgh
10. York

How the Sleep Calm & Carry On programme could help

The ‘Sleep Calm and Carry On’ programme is available exclusively right here. And Dr Sophie Bostock has applied her intrinsic knowledge and expertise on all things sleep to help you get a better grasp on your tiredness and it’s knock on emotional response of angriness.

It’s compiled of 6 different steps, each one with it’s own purpose to serve.

• Step One: Is a lack of sleep making me tired and angry?
• Step Two: How can I use a sleep diary to improve my sleep?
• Step Three: Why is sleep consistency so important?
• Step Four: What can you do if you wake up and can’t get back to sleep?
• Step Five: How to wind down before bed
• Step Six: How to get more energy during the day

And each one is accessible via the above links. Plus, it’s available in both written and video formats so that you can get the help you need how you want it. Thanks for reading and sleep well.

Rachel Marshall

Brand Manager

Rachel has worked at Bensons for Beds for 4 years and has almost 20 years' experience in marketing. In her role at Bensons, Rachel looks after all things brand including PR, brand communications, brand identity, brand partnerships and new product launches.
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