Brits warned as 1 in 10 use sleeping pills
04/03/2011
Sleeping pills do not provide the same quality of bed rest as naturally-induced sleep, researchers have said, after it was revealed that one in ten Brits use pills at least three times a week.
A survey by the Economic and Social Research Council revealed that one in eight people in the UK do not manage six hours per night, while three in five take more than half an hour to fall asleep.
While former prime minister Margaret Thatcher may have famously boasted that she got by on four hours per night, research leader Professor Sara Arber of the University of Surrey believes this kind of "macho image" can be damaging.
The experts believe that a lack of bed rest can result in an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
Meanwhile, a recent study in the US suggested that taking a daily nap can lower blood pressure and be beneficial to the heart.
Posted by Elizabeth Mewes
