One in eight UK adults feel tired ‘all the time’, survey finds

Two in five people are so tired they would rather sleep more than spend time with family

A tired woman pours coffee, misses the cup (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

One in eight UK adults feel tired all the time, according to a new YouGov survey.

Another quarter (25 per cent) feel tired “most of the time”, while a third (33 per cent) reported feeling weary around “half of the time”.

The survey of 1,684 adults found that parents of young children are most likely to be tired, with 22 per cent of those with at least one child under 18 feeling tired “all the time”, compared with eight per cent of those with children over 18.

According to the NHS, feeling “tired all the time” is so common that it has its own acronym, TATT.

It says the reasons behind this common exhaustion are usually obvious, such as too many late nights, working long hours, or a baby keeping you up at night.

As per YouGov’s data, mothers are more likely to feel exhausted than fathers, with 26 per cent of mums with young children reporting that they feel tired all the time compared with 18 per cent of dads.

Even in people without children, women were more tired than men. Almost two thirds of women (61 per cent) said they feel tired when they wake up – even after a full night’s sleep – while 49 per cent of men said the same.

The survey also found that for some, sleep is more valuable than money.

Almost half of all respondents (47 per cent) said they would trade £20 cash for an extra hour of sleep.

Additionally, two in five people said they would rather sleep an extra hour than spend time with friends or family, while 40 per cent of parents said they would trade an hour of good behaviour from children with 60 minutes of slumber.

On its website, the NHS states that tiredness can be caused by mental health problems, physical problems and lifestyle choices.

In order to combat fatigue, it’s worth thinking about how all three areas might impact your day.

Physical causes of tiredness include iron deficiency, an underactive thyroid, pregnancy and being either underweight or overweight.

Those who suffer from anxiety, depression or high levels of stress may also feel more tired.

Lifestyle choices such as your alcohol intake, working nightshifts, drinking too much caffeine and too much or too little exercise can also have an effect.

YouGov found that most people who are tired all the time felt that it negatively impacted some areas of their lives.

A quarter of people said it affected their relationship with their family, while 22 per cent said it had impacted their love life.