What's keeping New Zealanders up at night?

The study showed just under 50 per cent of participants often feel tired during the day, mostly after lunch between 2 and 5pm. Photo / Getty

Feeling heavy-headed at work? Craving a nap? You're not the only one.

A new study has revealed the most common things keeping New Zealanders up at night, and subsequently causing disruption to our days.

The study, from research by Colmar Brunton, was commissioned by Sealy NZ and found six out of 10 Kiwis claim to feel exhausted during the day. It also revealed the most tired among us are those between the ages of 30 to 39.

So what's keeping us up at night? Uncomfortable sleeping conditions and temperatures in our sleeping environments were deemed the main culprits in stopping us from getting a sound night's sleep.

For couples with children, half reported they struggle to get into a good sleep routine because they are often woken up by their kids.

Kiwis surveyed noted a bad sleep causes them a range of problems with just over half of respondents saying they feel unable to concentrate during the day. This trouble with focusing is especially pronounced between the hours of 2pm and 5pm.

When it comes to productivity at home, 50 per cent said a lack of sleep contributed to getting less done around the house.

For women, 40 per cent reported their diet was affected by the quality of their sleep, admitting they were more likely to make unhealthy food choices when tired.

Dr Karyn O'Keeffe, a researcher at the Sleep Wake Research Centre at Massey University in Wellington said, "It's great to see there is increasing awareness about factors that can disrupt sleep, particularly those that we may have some influence over. With time, we may start to see a shift in sleep quality that leads to improvement in how we feel during the day."

The study showed just under 50 per cent of participants often feel tired during the day, mostly after lunch between 2 and 5pm.

Only 16 per cent said they felt the lack sleep before 9am.

Sealy NZ marketing manager Jenni Graze said the survey is a timely reminder of the value of good sleep.

"There is no substitute for a great night's sleep in terms of keeping you on the ball and ready to take on the day."