Estate agents losing sleep

August 6, 2008

According to a recent report estate agents are the professionals that currently lose the most sleep, which many find unsurprising given the state of the housing market and the effects of the credit crunch. Estate agents have reported very low sales figures, and with housing sales having plummeted over recent months there are reports that thousands of estate agents could end up losing their jobs as a result of the situation.

Research was carried out by the hotel chain Travelodge, and involved surveying four thousand workers. The results of the survey showed that estate agents were the most sleep deprived professionals at present, with most getting less than six hours sleep per night. The results also showed that lorry and taxi drivers were only sleeping for about twenty minutes more than estate agents, with their worries stemming from soaring fuel prices, which is affecting their work and businesses.

Officials from the banking industry fares slightly better, as they average nearly six and a half hours sleep each night, despite the global credit crunch and the cut back on loan lending levels. Health professionals have said that consumers should try to get eight hours of sleep a night for maximum effect. Over a third of those questioned in the poll blamed the current pressures in their jobs for their lack of sleep.

One official involved in the research stated: "It’s no surprise the professions in the industries worst hit by the credit card crunch come top of the charts. We all know that money worries and job security are key drivers of stress which in turn, leads to significant sleep loss."

The results showed that over 50% of workers take time off work or use their weekends to try and catch up on sleep missed during the working week.

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