It might be their troubled consciences, or perhaps just the anti-social hours of their job, but politicians are among the most sleep-deprived people in Britain, a study showed on Tuesday.
MPs catch on average only five hours of shut-eye per night, a level that might well affect their ability to make rational decisions, the survey by the Sleep Council found.
Even before a general election expected in early May gets into full swing, MPs sleep less than any other profession apart from on-call doctors, said the Sleep Council, an industry body offering advice on beds and sleeping.
In contrast, lawyers appear to have very little bothering their minds, clocking up nearly eight hours a night on a regular basis, with one in five managing 10 hours of snoozing.
They are closely followed by architects and — perhaps more surprisingly — mothers with young children, who managed more than seven hours per night.
“The results of this study are of concern in that they demonstrate that our politicians — the people responsible for making decisions that affect all of our lives — may not be in the best mental or physical shape to do so,” said Jessica Alexander from the Sleep Council.
“If we were a political party, ensuring the nation got a good night’s sleep would be at the heart of our manifesto.” — AFP