It’s official – Brits are more frazzled than ever before according to a study released today by eveSleep.

The survey of 2,000 Brits revealed the nation is heading for breaking point – with 63% of Brits waking up shattered and exhausted, while 58% get up feeling anxious and stressed about the day ahead.

For almost half of adults Christmas wasn’t a break at all, with 44% unable to switch off and enjoy the festivities. While over one in five (22%) took a work call on the ‘Big Day’ and almost a quarter (24%) replied to a work email.

Over half (54%) claim they need a holiday simply to rest and relax after the mayhem of Christmas.

In a bid to combat the nation’s restlessness, eveSleep has launched the world’s “slowest” relaxation and sleep video, Be More Sloth – to help reduce stress and insomnia. The video, which lasts 20 hours, shows footage of a sloth as it peacefully slumbers throughout the day whilst nestled in the leafy canopy of the Costa Rican rain forest.

After discovering that 43% of adults struggle to sleep because of work worries – and that the average time spent snoozing is just 5.6 hours a night – Be More Sloth has been created as a homage to the slowest animal on Earth, the Sloth.

The length of the video is inspired by the slow, sedentary movements of sloths who spend up to 20 hours snoozing and move at a rate of 40 yards per day—less than half the length of a football field.

eveSleep’s research revealed that 45% found 2023 more stressful than last year, with 67% blaming the cost of living crisis and almost half (48%) worrying about rising energy bills.

Over a third admitted to regularly having nightmares about work. Money issues (28%), health problems (24%) and work disasters (23%) top the list of nightmares, whilst a small fraction worry about showing up naked at work (6%) or having sex with their boss (2%)

43% struggle to sleep because of anxiety, with 34% having nightmares about upcoming work projects.

Unsurprisingly, 46% feel daunted by the prospect of going back to work in January.

Getting more sleep (50%), improving our mental wellbeing (39%) and losing weight (29%) are top of the list of New Year resolutions that Brits will be making to get a better work / life balance. Whilst, 16% plan to have more sex.

Half agree that watching videos of cute animals helps them to relax and unwind.

Top 10 things Brits have nightmares about
Money issues (28%)
Health problems (24%)
Work disasters (23%)
Relationship failures (20%)
Being sacked (14%)
Family (13%)
Being late for work (12%)
Workloads / upcoming projects (12%0
Partners (9%)
Boss (8%)

Behavioural psychologist Jo Hemmings says: “Quality sleep is the best present you can give to the busy mind. We naturally dream about work – sometimes in nightmare form – because it is such a central aspect of our daily lives and impacts a multitude of concerns from our sense of well-being and our finances to our purpose in life.

To induce better sleep, keeping your bedroom at a steady temperature, not using mobile devices before sleep and a good mattress can all help. As can listening to repetitive but gentle sounds like rain or ocean waves, which can influence the brain to become calm and ready for sleep.

eveSleep’s 20-hour relaxation and sleep video includes not only the gentle sounds of the rainforest, but features a sleeping sloth, the world’s slowest animal. Seeing animals in their natural settings, where they exhibit rhythmic movements and behaviours, create a soothing effect on the mind, revealing our innate connection to the natural world, making us feel calm and tranquil, the ideal environment for distraction from everyday worries, reducing stress, promoting relaxation and creating a sense of peace, making it ideal for falling asleep and staying asleep.”

Released as the world’s slowest relaxation and sleep video, Be More Sloth is 10 hours longer than a typical sleep video, which lasts 8 to 10 hours and contains less than 30 seconds of dialogue with the remaining 19 hours and 30 seconds comprising footage of a sloth sleeping.

Due to its length the video is too long to play on YouTube, which has a maximum 12 hour limit. A special cutdown version has been created for people to watch on the popular video platform, whilst the full length 20 hour version will be hosted on the eveSleep website for those wanting to stay awake to watch it.