Getting a good night’s sleep is ‘MORE important to your wellbeing than having lots of sex or 50% pay rise’

YOU might not believe it – but getting a good night’s sleep is more important to Brits than having sex or getting a pay rise.

There seems to be no end to the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep.

Getting a good eight hours in the land of nod is known to boost energy levels, improve concentration, help keep the weight off and help you live longer.

And now a new study has found a healthy amount of sleep has more impact on a person’s wellbeing than a 50 per cent pay rise or an active sex life.

There's a significant wellbeing gap in Britain, with sleep quality found to be the strongest indicator of living well, the study by Oxford Economics and the National Centre for Social Research for Sainsbury's found.

Those who are satisfied with their sex lives, have job security and a connection with their community are also more likely to rank at the top of the inaugural Living Well Index.

Researchers found the average Briton has a "living well score" of 62.2 out of 100.

And the top 20 per cent of the population, considered to be living the best, scored between 72 and 92.

Across the population as a whole, just over a third of Brits said they were fairly or very satisfied with their sex lives.

But these people were more likely to fall in the top scorers of the Living Well Index – with almost two thirds of those at the top saying that they were satisfied with their sex life, twice the national average.

Researchers found income has surprisingly little impact on how people feel, with a 50 per cent rise in income contributing to just half a point increase in a typical Briton's overall score.

But sleep quality contributed 3.8 points of difference between a typical person's score and those in the top 20 per cent.

Worrying about the health of close relatives contributed to a difference of 1.75 points between the typical Briton and the top scorers.

Researchers asked a panel of 8,250 people questions about 60 different aspects of their behaviour, how they live and how they feel.

The same panel will be questioned every six months to allow the supermarket giant and researchers study how Britons live affects how they feel.

EAT SLEEP REPEAT The nine foods you should be eating for a better night’s sleep

Ian Mulheirn, director of consulting at Oxford Economics, said: “Wellbeing is rising up the agenda at a time of rapid change in how we live our lives, and we've created a critical new tool that can help us to unpick what's driving our sense of living well, drawing on a unique, rolling survey of unprecedented breadth and granularity.

“The analysis within the Sainsbury's Living Well Index reveals that, in a world that's never been more connected, the richness of our relationships and support networks remains among the biggest determinants of how well we live, and represents an area of our lives in which we can act.”

Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe said: “We've launched the Sainsbury's Living Well Index to help us better understand what 'living well' truly means to people across the UK today.

“The index will help to inform how we run our business and will also help us uncover and engage more boldly on the issues that concern people most in their everyday lives.”

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