Survey Finds that Sleep is the Key to Perfect Happiness

It seems like us Brits are attempting to always become happier but according to a new study, the key to perfect happiness lies in our sleep.

According to a recent survey of 2,000 people, people who are ‘perfectly happy’ get exactly seven hours and six minutes of sleep every night and whilst we already know there’s a strong link between the sleep we have and our well-being, it appears that there’s a very tight margin.

Respondents who rated themselves as ‘somewhat happy’ had an average sleep-time of six hours and 54 minutes and according to the report, “Less than 6 hours 48 minutes hours of sleep meant complete unhappiness in relationships, constant worry, and never a shred of gratitude”.

The NHS recommends that healthy adults should get at least seven hours of shut-eye each night, but it seems like hitting the snooze button for an extra six minutes makes a world of difference!

Previous research has been consolidated as the new study found that women tend to struggle the most to get a good night’s sleep, with those reporting the fewest amount of resting time also considering themselves as the least happy.

A study by mattress company Amerisleep found that age is a big factor in our sleeping patterns with those under the age of 25 getting a lot more sleep, regardless of how happy they rated themselves.

People who reported getting the higher numbers hours’ sleep were more likely to take a shower or meditate before bedtime. On the other hand, playing video games or working at night were the two activities closely associated with less sleep.

Sierra B. Forbush, lead author and a research assistant at the University of Arizona in Tuscon’s Sleep and Health Research Program, commented: “These results indicate that sleep regularity, beyond sleep duration alone, plays a significant role in our health.

“This suggests that a regular sleep schedule may be an effective, relatively simple, and inexpensive preventative treatment for heart disease as well as many other health problems.”