Only 3% of adults are getting the recommended eight hours of sleep per night - and many of them blame work stress as the reason, a new study reveals.
A survey of 1,700 adults showed that one in ten would take a day off work after a sleepless night, while one in three respondents required two days to catch up.
As a result, those workers claim their productivity levels are affected, leading one sleep expert to raise an alarm to employers.
'Ironically, the findings reveal that businesses are suffering the consequences of employees sleeping badly,' said Chris Idzikowski from the Edinburgh Sleep Centre.
'With this in mind, employers should encourage employees to raise any issues they are having with sleep patterns and try to understand what is causing the problem and help them identify how they can help them improve their sleep', Mr Idzikowski added.
The report also found people are spending billions on 'quick fixes' such as vitamins, energy drinks and herbal remedies to refresh themselves after sleeping badly.
