Marvin OnumonuMPs, peers and staff in Parliament have reported major sleep problems, with over 45% saying they had trouble sleeping on at least half the nights in a week.
The survey, carried out by Night Club and the universities of East Anglia and Oxford, aimed to look at sleep health in Parliament and found the same issues seen in the general population.
Over 40% of MPs said they were rarely happy with their sleep quality, and 78% were getting less than the usual seven to nine hours a night.
The results showed MPs and staff had more in common with night workers than many realised, as both groups struggle with sleep.
Night Club reported that lack of sleep costs the UK economy £52bn each year, with £35bn in lost productivity and £17bn in health and other costs.
Night shift patterns also put pressure on the NHS, with night workers 44% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and 37% more likely to have a heart attack.
Night Club has called for better protections for night workers, including annual health checks, a minister responsible for night shift workers and more research into night work.
Lord Tom Watson, a Labour peer champion of the Night Club campaign, said: “It’s shocking, but perhaps not surprising how common sleep challenges appear to be for those of us working in Parliament.
“Although we might not be working night shifts, we have more in common than we realise with shift workers.
“Tackling sleep deprivation and supporting night time workers is a critical public health issue.”
Watson added: “Night workers are important members of the UK economy – whether they are looking after our health or ensuring our goods are delivered on time – we as policy makers, as well as employers, need to play our role as part of their duty of care.”
Sarah Douglas, founder of the night club programme, said: “The inaugural great parliamentary sleep survey has shown how poor sleep can impact the health and wellbeing of parliamentarians and their staff – the impact on those working the night shift can be greater still.
“We have a moral duty to support shift workers, but there is also a huge economic opportunity from doing so.
“We want the government to take action in supporting night workers through a requirement for employers to provide an annual health check for their staff, greater research into the impacts of night work and a designated minister responsible for this critical group of workers.”
