Are you getting enough sleep based on the government's new rulings?

Off to catch some ZZs

Sleep is absolutely essential to a healthy lifestyle but with work, children and life’s everyday pressures, too many of us struggle to get enough shut-eye.

‘I don’t need that much sleep’, we tell ourselves. ‘I can’t fall asleep before a certain time anyway’.

But judging by new guidance that is set to be issued by ministers, we need sleep a lot more than we think - and are more sleep deprived than we expected too.

The guidance in question is part of a series of proposals aimed at improving public health in the UK, with sleep deprivation leading to a multitude of physical and mental health problems.

Yes, according to the research cited in the proposal, there is a link between sleep deprivation and a number of increased health risks, from obesity and heart attacks to anxiety and depression.

So how much sleep should we all be getting? Well, according to the new governmental guidance, a whole seven hours - at least.

And while you may think that sounds easy, a leaked draft of the plans via The Times reveals that a whopping three in four adults do not regularly get seven hours sleep per night.

‘As a first step the government will review the evidence on sleep and health,’ the draft guidance reportedly reads. ‘This is with a view to informing the case for clear national guidance on the daily recommended hours of sleep for individuals in different age brackets and to raise awareness of the key "sleep hygiene" factors that can support healthy sleeping.’

Be right back - off to catch some ZZs.