July is the grumpiest month for Brits, according to findings from a new survey conducted by Travelodge.
Hot, humid nights mean, we miss out on 56 hours of sleep during flaming July – that’s one entire week of sleep.
Sleep deprivation is taking its toll with 78 per cent of adults admitting they are moodier in July than any other month.
Nearly 90 per cent of us (88%) loose sleep every night with two hours being the average amount lost.
More than three quarters of the population (69%) will take one to two days off work to catch up on lost sleep.
Seventy per cent of parents admit they are woken up at least three times a night by children struggling in the heat and humidity.
According to the snap survey by Travelodge, sleep deprivation is fuelling more arguments at work, bust-ups between couples and kids being snapped at.
A higher number of men and women also admit they are likely to have an attack of travel rage due to the heat and exhaustion.
One in two (49%) tired or hot drivers will shout at another motorist out of frustration at least once over the month.
A quarter will use bad language, 40 per cent will make rude gestures and a really mad one in five will go as far as tailgating an unsuspecting driver.
More than one in five short tempered rail, tube or train commuters admit they will make a rude comment to another traveller while 15 per cent will end up arguing with staff.
Over a quarter (27%) of commuters will even shout at a partner or child when they are travelling.
Work will be the tensest place during moody July, 45 per cent of hot, tired men and women admitting they will take their grumpiness out on colleagues.
Partners, kids, friends and even the boss will also come under attack from irritable adults.
Leigh McCarron, Travelodge Sleep Director said; “We wait all year for the hot weather, but when it arrives, most of us aren’t prepared. We lose valuable hours of sleep and everything goes downhill from there. The lack of sleep makes us irritable, that combined with soaring temperatures in the day make many of us quite tense. We like the heat – but it takes us time to get used to it.”
Listed below are Travelodge’s Sleep Director’s top five tips to help you sleep in the summer months
1. Change your duvet to a lighter tog (4.5 to 6)
2. Sleep in 100 per cent natural fibre sheets
3. Change your sheets every couple of days
4. Have a shower or bath before bedtime
5. Have a milky drink or herbal tea before going to bed
But the July misery doesn’t end with lack of sleep – up to 40 per cent will suffer sun burn, while one in five will endure sun stroke or an increase in their asthma symptoms.
The same number will also be laid low by hay fever while 15 per cent endure heat related migraines, according to the Travelodge survey.
Exhaustion, dehydration and nose bleeds will also increase as the temperature rises.
Work pals (43%) will also suffer the most from body odour followed by friends (27%) and commuters (23%).
Just over 80 per cent of Brits also admit getting fed up in July – because they are too ashamed of their bodies to strip off and soak up the sun.