Dependence on sleeping pills rises as wellbeing suffers: Unum UK

Over 11 million prescriptions issued in 2020/21

Hemma Visavadia
clock • 1 min read

Unum UK has warned of the negative impacts of remote working can have on sleeping patterns, as the use of sleeping pills increases year-on-year.

Despite the NHS warning of the risks of dependence and side effects of using sleeping pills, with more people unable to sleep prescriptions for sleeping pills available on the NHS is rising. A recent YouGov survey showed that in March 2022, only 17% of Brits were getting an average of eight hours of sleep a night. Meanwhile, more than 11 million sleeping prescriptions were issued in England in 2020/21, rising by 300,000 from the previous year, according to the NHS Business Services Authority. Unum UK stated poor sleep health has been exacerbated by the switch to remote working, which ...

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