The UK's Most Sleep Deprived Cities
Getting a good night's sleep is just as important for your wellbeing as diet and exercise, but depending on where you live in the UK, getting enough rest might be easier said than done.
Insomnia affects around one in three UK adults, with 30% saying they rarely wake up feeling refreshed. There are plenty of factors that can affect our sleep, from health and work to our social lives, but one that can often be overlooked is our sleeping environment.
To uncover where Brits could be struggling the most with their sleep, we crunched the numbers across several factors that can make getting a good night's rest more difficult, revealing the UK's worst places for a peaceful night's sleep.
London is the worst city for a full night's sleep
Eight factors that can contribute to poor sleep were reviewed to determine which cities have the worst sleeping environments, including air pollution, average yearly temperature, rainfall, light pollution, road traffic, nighttime aircraft noise, nightlife and anxiety levels.
Taking the lead was, unsurprisingly, London, with a score of just 19 out of a possible 80. The capital, known for its hustle and bustle, recorded the highest levels of light pollution, with a sky quality meter reading of 17.76 and an artificial brightness volume of 9,710. This refers to the additional illumination created by city lights, outdoor fixtures and commercial buildings.
London also recorded the highest level of air pollution, at 10.9624 µg/m³ of PM2.5. Both air pollution and excessive artificial light at night can contribute to a less sleep-friendly environment, potentially making it more difficult for residents to get a restful night's sleep.
Another factor potentially keeping Brits awake at night is outside noise. London recorded the third-highest level of nighttime aircraft noise, at 38dB. With six major international airports serving the capital's commercial air traffic, including Heathrow and Gatwick, it's unsurprising that some Londoners may be affected by flights at night.
Adding to the noise, London also ranked third for road traffic, with a rating of 158.93. With busy roads alongside regular air traffic, the capital's residents have plenty of outside noise to contend with when trying to get a peaceful night's sleep.
Manchester is the second-worst city for sleep
Manchester is fast becoming a hub for living and working; however, our results show it's the second-worst city for sleep, with factors such as light pollution and high levels of rainfall potentially making it harder for residents to get a good night's rest. The city recorded 1,047mm of annual rainfall, alongside an air pollution level of 7.7092 µg/m³ of PM2.5.
Manchester also had a sky quality meter reading of 18.14 and an artificial brightness volume of 5,830. While this is almost half the level recorded in London, it remains one of the highest figures in the study and is more than five times Plymouth's, which recorded an artificial brightness volume of 1,140.
Liverpool is the third-worst city for sleep
Neighbouring city Liverpool took third place, with a score of 38.33, more than double London's score of 19, highlighting just how far the capital fell behind other cities in the study. Liverpool also recorded a high volume of nightlife, with 279 attractions ranging from bars and clubs to gaming hotspots across the city centre. For residents living close to these busy areas, nighttime noise could make getting a full night's rest more difficult.
Bournemouth recorded the highest average annual temperature in the study, at 11.4°C. While this might not sound particularly warm, higher temperatures can make sleeping comfortably more difficult, particularly during the summer months when temperatures climb well above the yearly average. With the UK experiencing periods of hot weather and heatwaves, warmer nights can leave residents struggling to switch off and get some much-needed rest.
Luton the worst city for airport noise
Luton recorded the highest nighttime aircraft noise level in the study, at 51dB, which perhaps comes as little surprise given the presence of London Luton Airport. Leeds followed in second place, recording 46dB at night, with Leeds Bradford Airport also situated close to the city.
At the other end of the scale, Peterborough recorded just 4dB of nighttime aircraft noise, making overhead flights far less of a concern for residents trying to get a night's sleep.
Scottish city crowned the best city for sleep
Dundee was crowned the best city for sleep in the study, scoring 65.63 out of a possible 80. According to the UK's noise mapping data, residents experience around 0dB of nighttime aircraft noise, suggesting that overhead flights are unlikely to cause much disruption for those trying to get some shut-eye.
The Scottish city also recorded the lowest level of road traffic in the study, with a volume of 66.58. Light pollution was relatively low too, with a sky quality meter reading of 19.68 and an artificial brightness volume of 1,280. Dundee also had the lowest level of air pollution analysed, recording just 4.3512 µg/m³ of PM2.5.
However, Dundee didn't perform quite as well across every factor. The city recorded 907mm of annual rainfall, alongside an ONS anxiety rating of 4.43. With racing thoughts commonly cited as something that keeps Brits awake at night, anxiety and stress could still be standing between some Dundee residents and a completely peaceful night's sleep.
Top 10 UK cities for sleep:
- Dundee - 65.62/80
- Exeter - 55.67
- Stoke-on-Trent - 55.04
- Oxford - 54.89
- Newcastle upon Tyne - 54.56
- Edinburgh - 54.31
- York - 53.19
- Cambridge - 52.92
- Kingston upon Hull - 52.13
- Preston - 51.9
Tips for getting a better night's sleep
Create a consistent sleep routine. Going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time each day can help your body settle into a regular routine. Try giving yourself time to wind down before bed too, rather than going straight from a busy day to trying to sleep.
Make your bedroom as sleep-friendly as possible. With light and noise featuring heavily in our study, simple changes to your bedroom environment could make a difference. Blackout curtains, an eye mask or earplugs can help reduce outside disturbances, while keeping the room cool can make it more comfortable during warmer nights.
Put your phone away before bed. Scrolling might feel like a way to unwind, but it can also keep your brain stimulated when you're trying to switch off. Try putting your phone down before getting into bed and replacing screen time with something more relaxing.
Add magnesium to your nighttime routine. Magnesium has become a popular addition to evening routines, particularly for people looking to wind down before bed. Products such as Night Night Magnesium can provide a simple way to incorporate magnesium into your routine.
Give yourself time to switch off. If racing thoughts tend to appear as soon as your head hits the pillow, create some space to decompress. Writing down tomorrow's to-do list, reading or practising a relaxation technique can help create a clearer divide between day and bedtime.
Methodology
To create the Sleepless Cities Index, we analysed 40 UK cities across eight factors that could contribute to poor sleep. These included air pollution, average yearly temperature, rainfall, light pollution, road traffic, nighttime aircraft noise, nightlife and anxiety levels.
Data was gathered from sources including EN Climate, Light Pollution Map, Noise Map and the Office for National Statistics. Each city was scored across the eight factors, with conditions such as higher pollution, traffic, aircraft noise, nightlife and anxiety contributing to a less favourable score. Light pollution scores were reversed to account for lower SQM values representing brighter skies. The results were then normalised and ranked across each factor, with the scores combined to reveal the worst environments for sleep.