Subject: 16.4 million lost days: the cost of sleep & stress at work

Preview: Our new review of the published UK evidence on workplace rest and stress.

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LOOM Research · 2026

The cost of sleep and stress at work

We have just published a review of the public evidence on workplace sleep and stress in Britain. Every figure comes from a named source. Here is what stood out.

16.4m

working days lost in a year to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in Great Britain.

HSE, 2023/24

01. Stress is the largest single driver of work-related ill health

In 2023/24 the Health and Safety Executive recorded 776,000 workers in Great Britain suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety. Together these accounted for 46% of all work-related ill health and an estimated 16.4 million lost working days, more than half of all days lost to ill health that year.

02. Lost sleep carries a measurable economic cost

RAND Europe estimated that insufficient sleep costs the UK economy up to £40 billion a year, equivalent to around 1.86% of GDP, with roughly 200,000 working days lost annually through a mix of absenteeism and reduced performance at work.

03. The cost of poor mental health to employers is rising in focus

Deloitte estimated the cost of poor mental health to UK employers at around £51 billion a year. In the same research, 63% of employees reported at least one characteristic of burnout, up from 51% in 2021, while employers saw an average return of £4.70 for every £1 invested in mental health and wellbeing support.

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Sources: HSE (2023/24), RAND Europe (2016), Deloitte (2024), NHS. A review of published data.

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