Almost half of Brits struggle to sleep during hot weather

Almost half of Brits struggle to sleep during hot weather, leaving them feeling tired and low on energy.

As the nation battles through another heatwave, with temperatures due to hit highs of more than 30 degrees, a poll of 2,000 adults found that despite 39 per cent saying summer is their favourite season, 45 per cent complain that feeling hot and uncomfortable stops them from fully enjoying themselves.

Londoners cool off at the giffgaff Keep Your Cool Zone at Boxpark Shoreditch | Will Ireland/PinPep

placeholder image — Londoners cool off at the giffgaff Keep Your Cool Zone at Boxpark Shoreditch | Will Ireland/PinPep

And although 48 per cent start looking forward to summer before it has even arrived, nearly a quarter (23 per cent) then struggle to concentrate when the mercury rises. This is a challenge made worse by the fact that 35 per cent find it difficult to keep their homes cool.

Other factors which made the summer months harder to enjoy were sweaty transport journeys (23 per cent), having to work on sunny days (22 per cent) and even pressure to make the most of the good weather (14 per cent). Despite this, 17 per cent look forward to the warmer months as soon as winter is over.

To help people beat the heat, a unique summer pit stop was set up over the weekend, offering a welcome escape from soaring temperatures during one of the hottest weekends of the year.

The giffgaff Keep Your Cool Zone transformed a milk float into the ultimate chill-out space and heat-relief hub with cooling mists and shaded seating. Located in Boxpark Shoreditch, the cooling station also provided a refreshing pre-match pit stop for football fans as England took on Norway in the football World Cup quarter-final.

It allowed the fans watching the game in the warm temperatures to cool off, despite the hot action on the pitch which saw the Three Lions progress through to the semi-final for only the fourth time ever - exactly 60 years after the famous 1966 world cup win.

The cooling station was created as part of giffgaff’s Fair Play Summer Fund, which is helping people and communities tackle those unfair moments that can make summer less enjoyable.

The cooling station also provided a refreshing pre-match pit stop for football fans | Will Ireland/PinPep

Kate Dohaney, CEO for the mobile and broadband provider, said: “Summer should be about making the most of the longer days and spending time with friends and family, but for many people, the heat can quickly become uncomfortable and take the shine off the season.

“We’ve already helped people with some of this summer’s connectivity stings, by providing unlimited data and broadband for less, so we wanted to take things a step further and help England fans keep their cool ahead of the game”

The research also found that despite the heat, nearly one in five (18 per cent) are keen to make the most of the summer of sport – with England’s win on Saturday giving many a boost.mMore than a quarter (26 per cent) have watched a game from a pub or beer garden, while 23 per cent have tuned in while on holiday.

Following the action is so important to 15 per cent that they have watched a match on their phone while working. A further one in 10 devoted sports fans, polled via OnePoll, admitted they've left an event early to catch a major sporting fixture.