UK workplaces lost 16.4 million working days to stress, depression and anxiety in a year, new LOOM review of published data shows

New analysis from premium supplement brand LOOM brings together the published evidence on workplace sleep and stress in Britain, and the picture is consistent across every source.

Figures from the Health and Safety Executive show that 776,000 workers in Great Britain suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2023/24. Together these conditions 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.

The economic picture is just as stark. RAND Europe has estimated that insufficient sleep costs the UK economy up to £40 billion a year, around 1.86% of GDP, through a combination of absence and reduced performance at work. Separately, Deloitte has put the cost of poor mental health to UK employers at around £51 billion a year.

There are signs the pressure is building rather than easing. In Deloitte's research, 63% of employees reported at least one characteristic of burnout, up from 51% in 2021. The same analysis found that employers see an average return of £4.70 for every £1 they invest in mental health and wellbeing support.

The report also points to practical context. The NHS advises most adults to aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, and RAND Europe found that people sleeping under six hours had a 13% higher mortality risk than those in the 7 to 9 hour range.

The full report, including charts, methodology and a downloadable media kit, is available at loomsupplements.com/reports/workplace-sleep-stress-2026/.