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Britain, and much of the world, is entering a genuine sleep crisis. It hides behind busy lifestyles, economic pressure, stress, endless screen time, and a culture that glorifies exhaustion.
What’s going on?
During December 2025 we spoke with more than 3,000 customers about how CBD can help with sleep issues, across our retail locations in York, Harrogate, and Brighton, alongside six intense weeks trading at the famous York Christmas Market.
The conversations we had revealed a pattern we simply could not ignore: People were exhausted.
Not simply worn out from Christmas shopping or the winter weather, we met customers describing chronic insomnia, persistent waking at 3am, racing thoughts, anxiety before bed, restless nights, and an inability to properly switch off.
“When another customer in our Harrogate store (a local chef) said that he gets less than 60 minutes of sleep a night I knew there was a real pattern emerging.”
Most strikingly of all, sleep-related enquiries were more than double what we experienced during the previous Christmas period, and while natural sleep aids like CBD can help a lot of people with mild issues, many customers were describing what appeared to be chronic sleep problems.
It wasn’t isolated to one age group either.
Young professionals spoke about digital overload and stress. Parents described burnout and mental exhaustion. Older customers reported fragmented sleep and nightly waking. Many told us they felt permanently “wired but tired.”
After hearing thousands of these conversations face-to-face, I became convinced of something:
York, Britain, and much of the world, is on the precipice of a genuine sleep crisis.
Sleep: The Silent Health Emergency
Sleep has quietly become one of the biggest public health issues of modern life.
Unlike many health crises, poor sleep develops gradually. It hides behind busy lifestyles, economic pressure, stress, endless screen time, and a culture that often glorifies exhaustion.
But the consequences are enormous.
Research from The Sleep Charity suggests that nine in ten people in the UK are experiencing sleep problems linked to stress, anxiety, and modern working life. The charity estimates that more than 14 million people may be living with undiagnosed sleep disorders.
Meanwhile, mental health organisations warn that sleep problems now affect up to one-third of the population.
Britain, and much of the world, is entering a genuine sleep crisis.
Philip James
The NHS also continues to expand public guidance around sleep deprivation, insomnia, and sleep hygiene as demand for support increases.
Globally, the picture may be even more alarming.
A major 2025 study published in Sleep Medicine Reviews estimated that more than 852 million adults worldwide suffer from insomnia, representing around 16.2% of the global adult population. Nearly 415 million people were estimated to suffer from severe insomnia.
To put that into perspective:
Insomnia prevalence is now approaching the scale of global obesity rates.
That should concern all of us.
Why Is Sleep Getting Worse?
During our Christmas trading period, several themes repeatedly emerged from conversations with customers.
1. Stress and Financial Pressure
The cost-of-living crisis continues to impact millions of households across Britain.
Customers frequently spoke about money worries, job insecurity, debt, and general uncertainty. Mental Health UK reports that 25% of UK adults say financial worries negatively affect their sleep.
Sleep and stress operate in a vicious cycle:
- stress disrupts sleep
-
- poor sleep worsens anxiety
-
- anxiety creates more sleep disruption
Many people feel trapped inside that loop.
2. Digital Overstimulation
Modern life never switches off.
Phones glow beside beds until midnight. Notifications continue throughout the night. Streaming platforms encourage “just one more episode.” Social media keeps minds overstimulated long after bedtime.
Some researchers now describe excessive blue light exposure as one of the defining health challenges of the modern era.
In-store, we heard countless customers say variations of:
“My brain just won’t stop.”
That phrase came up again and again.
3. Burnout Culture
For years, society celebrated hustle culture and productivity at all costs.
More people are working longer hours, carrying emotional exhaustion, and struggling to properly recover. Sleep is often the first casualty.
According to recent UK wellbeing research, nearly one in five people in the UK are not getting enough sleep, while work stress significantly impacts sleep control and quality.
4. Mental Health and Sleep Are Deeply Connected
One of the clearest patterns we observed was the overlap between sleep struggles and mental wellbeing.
People rarely describe sleep problems in isolation. They also mentioned:
- Burnout
- Grief
- Menopause
- Loneliness & Low mood
- Anxiety & Racing thoughts
- Emotional overwhelm
Research consistently shows that poor sleep increases the risk of mental health difficulties, while mental health challenges themselves often worsen sleep quality.
The relationship works both ways.
The Christmas Effect
Christmas is often portrayed as joyful, magical, and relaxing. For many, it is anything but.
During the 2025 festive season, we encountered customers who felt emotionally drained before December had even begun.
The pressure to socialise, spend money, organise family life, travel, host events, and maintain appearances created enormous stress for many individuals.
Nearly one in five people in the UK are not getting enough sleep.
Mental Health UK
At the same time:
- Alcohol consumption rises
- Routines disappear
- Diets change
- Screen time Increases
- Loneliness intensifies for some
- Anxiety around family dynamics grows
All of this creates the perfect storm for sleep disruption. And once sleep starts breaking down, everything else often follows.
Like most health issues, there is not a one cure-all solution, but most people find developing a simple pre-sleep routine that combines some of these actions really does help.
Are We Facing a Global Sleep Pandemic?
I use the phrase carefully, but I genuinely believe sleep deprivation may become one of the defining health challenges of this generation.
Not because it spreads like a virus – but because it affects nearly every area of human health simultaneously.
When millions of people begin functioning on chronically poor sleep, the effects ripple across society, workplaces, healthcare systems, and families.
Some estimates now suggest poor sleep costs the UK economy tens of billions annually through lost productivity and sickness absence.
This is no longer simply a “wellness” conversation.
It is becoming an economic, social, and public health issue.
Poor sleep leads to:
- Reduced productivity
- Impaired concentration
- Weakened immunity
- Higher stress
- Emotional instability
- Relationship strain
- Burnout
- Cardiovascular risk
The Rise in People Seeking Natural Wellness Support
One of the clearest shifts we noticed during Christmas 2025 was that many customers were actively searching for gentler, more natural approaches to improving their evening routines and relaxation habits, like adding CBD to their bedtime routine.
Importantly, people are becoming increasingly aware of the downside of relying long-term on heavy sleep medication or sedatives, which can have side effects and quite frankly, leave most of us like walking zombies for several hours after waking up.
Across the UK, conversations around sleep support are changing.
What are people exploring?
- Herbal solutions like CBD
- Improved sleep hygiene
- Digital detoxing
- Breathwork
- Evening rituals
- Exercise
- Relaxation techniques
The Sleep Generated Circle of Positivity
The other thing I firmly believe, having spoken to many customers that have used CBD to improve their sleep, is the positive knock on effect this has on most people’s decision making. To put it simply, people who have had a good night’s sleep make better life choices: they feel motivated to exercise, eat well, socialise (in person) and be generally active.
Conversely, lack of sleep generates the opposite effect: low energy, poor eating habits and low mood.
The growing public conversation around sleep health reflects a wider cultural shift: people are beginning to understand that sleep is not a luxury.
A Personal Reflection
As CEO of Hempwell Limited, I have spent years speaking directly with customers about wellness challenges and I have also been using CBD to help with my own sleep issues for nearly 10 years.
But I can honestly say I have never seen anything quite like what we witnessed during Christmas 2025. The sheer volume of people struggling with restlessness, insomnia, persistent waking, and exhaustion was impossible to ignore. This wasn’t a passing trend and perhaps the most concerning part is that many people now see poor sleep as normal.
As a society, we need to start treating sleep with the seriousness it deserves.
Because behind every sleep-deprived person is usually a deeper story:
stress, pressure, anxiety, burnout, grief, financial strain, overstimulation, or emotional overload.
Sleep is often where those struggles first reveal themselves.
Why We’re Supporting the British Sleep Foundation
After witnessing this dramatic rise in sleep-related concerns first-hand, we felt we had a responsibility to do more than simply observe it.
That is why the team at HempWell launched our fundraising walk in support of the British Sleep Foundation. This campaign is about raising awareness as much as raising money.
Too many people silently struggle with insomnia, exhaustion, and poor sleep without seeking help or discussing it openly. Sleep deprivation has become normalised and it shouldn’t be.
We want to encourage a broader national conversation around:
- healthier sleep habits
- mental wellbeing
- stress reduction
- better support systems
- education around sleep health
Because sleep impacts every single aspect of life.
To learn more about how CBD can help with your sleep, visit the HempWell Sleep Corner.
By Philip James, CEO of HempWell Ltd., a York-based CBD manufacturer and retailer.