MPs warned over long hours culture
MPs are among the most sleep-deprived professional workers in Britain, a study has found.
On average, parliamentarians get just five hours of sleep per night, according to The Sleep Council, just a few more minutes that on-call hospital doctors.
Doctors are the most sleep deprived, getting their head down for just 4.5 hours per night.
An average of 5.2 hours sleep constituted “chronic sleep deprivation”, the council said, as humans require eight hours sleep per night.
Among the eight categories of workers selected in the study, solicitors slept the most, getting shuteye for nearly eight hours per night on a regular basis.
Architects and mothers with young children, managed more than seven hours sleep.
Teachers were just behind politicians with six hours of sleep.
Jessica Alexander of The Sleep Council said sleepy politicians may not be in the “best mental or physical shape” to make rational decisions.
The study was unveiled at the start of National Bed Month.
At the end of January, MPs voted to return to late night sittings.
MPs backed changes to the modernisation agenda brought in by Labour and voted for a return to the hours of 14:30 to 22:30 on Tuesdays, while retaining Wednesday hours from 11:30 to 19:30 and a start to Thursday from 10:30.
Changes will take effect after the next general election.
