World Sleep Day: Sleep loss emerges as biggest impact of worries

With sleep loss identified as the leading impact of worries, employers have a vital role to play in offering preventive support ahead of World Sleep Day.

Employees are feeling the effects of worries, with difficulty sleeping emerging as the most significant consequence. New findings from our Health at Work research show almost half of employees (44%) have experienced difficulty sleeping due to worries.

Concern about sleep itself is also rising. More than a third of employees (39%) say they are very or extremely anxious about not getting enough rest, making sleep a top three daily concern for both men and women. Younger employees are particularly affected, with 42% reporting that worrying about not getting enough sleep impacts their daily lives.

With World Sleep Day on 13 March shining a spotlight on sleep as the foundation of health and performance, the findings are a wake-up call for employers. We share insights into the link between worries and sleep disruption, along with practical steps employers can take.

Five ways to support employees struggling with sleep:

1. Recognise sleep disruption is a symptom

It’s all very well having a sleep routine and trying to disconnect from devices an hour before bed, but none of this will help anyone who is losing sleep due to stress and anxiety. If you spend the day worrying, your body will be flooded with the stress hormone cortisol.

Released as part of the body’s fight-or-flight response, cortisol stimulates the brain and nervous system, raising heart rate and blood pressure and increasing alertness so the body can respond to potential threats.

As well as making it harder to relax and fall asleep, elevated cortisol can disrupt circadian rhythms, causing those experiencing high levels of stress or anxiety to remain in threat mode instead of shifting into deeper, restorative sleep, leading to waking in the early hours.

2. Provide practical tips on minimising worries

Sleep issues are inextricably linked to mental health, so focus on education linked to addressing stress and anxiety. Emotionally, what we focus on grows. If employees are only focusing on what’s going wrong, or catastrophising about what could go wrong, these problems will seem bigger than they might actually be.

When employees focus on what’s going well and stay present for the things that bring joy, such as time with family and friends, rather than being distracted by worries, those positive aspects of life nurture them.

It can be helpful for employees to set a worry window of ten minutes, earlier in the day, to really thrash out worries or feelings they’ve been ruminating on, then rest the problem until the next day. This can reduce the buildup of cortisol later in the day, to improve sleep. As can reading a book at night, instead of doom scrolling topics linked to worries.

3. Encourage earlier use of mental health support

Not everyone has the self-awareness or knowledge needed to create a more positive mindset, especially if they’ve been struggling with life challenges for a while, so it can be helpful to proactively encourage people to use any mental health support already in place.

Many people will wait until they’re in an emotional crisis before they consider themselves worthy of utilising the mental health support services in place. They may reason that ‘things aren’t that bad yet,’ when if they’re already losing sleep due to worries, this is exactly the time to get preventive support.

Make sure employees know they can use support services, such as the emotional counselling provided by an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) as soon as they start to struggle with an issue, instead of waiting until they’re so stressed they can’t function.

4. Get managers to talk to tired employees

Sleep disruption is one of the first signs that someone is struggling with their emotional health, so managers need to be mindful of this. If someone looks tired, is suddenly struggling to get into work on time or taking short-term absences, this needs to be explored.

Managers should take the employee to one side for a supportive conversation. They could say, “You don’t seem your usual self, you seem a bit more tired than usual, is everything okay?” The aim isn’t to try to fix the employee’s problems, but to listen and encourage action by asking them: “What can you do to improve this situation or feel better about it?”

If they don’t know what to do, or don’t feel safe removing their “I’m fine mask,” managers have a vital role to play when it comes to sharing information about what support services are available or even referring employees into occupational health for confidential support.

5. Remember counselling isn’t always enough

Sometimes sleep issues can be resolved by better managing how we’re processing emotions and avoiding stressful thinking later in the day. Other times there will be very real-life challenges, such as a legal dispute or financial strain, keeping someone awake at night.

If someone is worried about the financial implications of a messy divorce, or their landlord is hiking their rent to an unaffordable level, these underlying challenges needed to be addressed.

In the run up to World Sleep Day, it’s also worth reminding employees about the practical support services in place if worries are keeping them awake at night, such as the financial and legal support associated with the Employee Assistance Programme.

By Nicola Jagielski, Clinical Director, PAM Group

Want to reduce sleep issues?

If you would like to know more about how PAM Group can help your organisation reduce sleep issues linked to worries, please contact us to arrange a callback.

About PAM Group’s EAP

PAM Group’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) supports over 1.5 million employees in the UK and provides fast, confidential access to expert help whenever employees need it.

Available 24/7, our EAP includes telephone and online access to BACP-accredited counsellors for any emotional, financial, legal or eldercare issues.

Providing employees with confidential space to talk and practical coping strategies has led to an average 57% reduction in anxiety levels (GAD-7 scores after PAM counselling, 2025).

For more information visit pamgroup.co.uk/eap