Over 20% of Irish people are losing sleep as a result of money worries, a new survey has found.

According to the first National Sleep Survey, 22% of people occasionally lose sleep over money concerns, 16% lose sleep over work worries, while a further 16% lose sleep over family worries.

It also revealed that 18% of people are regularly woken up by children during the night and 13% are regularly disturbed by their partner's snoring or excessive moving.

Some 14% lose sleep because they are spending too much time on a smartphone or tablet in bed.

Meanwhile, the survey found that just 36% of people feel they are getting the right amount of sleep that they need, and to compensate for a lack of sleep the next day, 31% rely on caffeine, while 15% admit to having called in sick to work on more than one occasion because of a sleepless night.

Apart from being physically tired, almost 40% of people who do not get enough sleep admit to being emotional and irritable, while 30% are forgetful. A further 28% are unfocused in work.

The survey was released to coincide with a new campaign, ‘Sleeptember', which aims to raise awareness of the many benefits associated with getting a good night's sleep throughout the month of September.

"We should never underestimate the restorative power of a good night's sleep. Both those having difficulty sleeping, and those who sleep with them, are affected, so it is very important to discuss the issue and seek medical advice," commented GP, Dr Nina Byrnes.

She noted that some sleep problems can be tackled by simply adopting better sleep habits or changing the bedroom environment. For more serious issues, professional help should be sought.

As part of Sleeptember, people are being encouraged to share their ‘bed-head selfies' on social media and then text HOSPITAL to 50300 to donate €4 to Temple Street Children's Hospital.

For more information on Sleeptember, click here

The survey of over 1,000 adults was carried out on behalf of King Koil.