Are money worries keeping you awake at night?

There are very few things in life like a good night’s sleep. It plays a vital role in our health and wellbeing, and we soon feel the effects of not getting enough of it.

That said, apart from dark shadows under the eyes and a persistent need to yawn, is lack of sleep really such a big deal?

We’ve been looking into the effect that money worries have on people for some time. Based on the stories we hear from our clients and various studies, it’s probably obvious that a lack of decent sleep is a common side effect.

Many of us are kept awake by our debt problems, sometimes waiting a year or more before getting help. That’s a long time to go without a proper night’s sleep.

With this in mind, we’ll be launching ‘Need to Sleep’ on Monday, and we need to reach as many people as possible. To help, we need you to find a cuddly toy from your childhood!

Why we care about your sleep

You might be wondering, “Why would a debt charity care if I’m getting enough sleep or not?”

But with so many of our clients mentioning how tough it is to sleep, and blaming this on the worry that comes with being in debt, it was impossible to ignore it.

Here are just some of the things you’ve told us over the years:

“I’ve been crying myself to sleep at night and snapping at the kids due to money worries.”

“I can empathise with the people in your TV advert. I’ve also been struggling to sleep due to worrying over my debt.”

“The stress of trying to pay the bills and look after my ill partner caused me to have a breakdown. I’m now on medication for anxiety depression and to help me sleep”

More than just a debt problem

Lack of sleep isn’t just a result of worrying over your finances. It can also be linked to other issues such as:

• Relationship problems
• Health problems
• Worrying over your job or career prospects
• Rising living costs

Several of our friends, including Shelter and the Mental Health Foundation, also want to do their bit to show the effects that sleep problems can have on your wider life. That’s why they will also be playing a part in our campaign.

Meet Paul…

We wanted to show the typical day in the life of a person who has trouble sleeping due to money worries. Through our Need to Sleep page, you can follow Paul’s journey. You’ll see how his struggle with money worries is leading him to lose sleep, and consequentially having a detrimental effect on other aspects of his life.

It’s not just Paul that’s feeling the pressure from his lack of sleep. His partner and colleagues are noticing it too. Will speaking to us and getting debt advice put him back on track? Visit Need to Sleep to find out!

How can I help?

If you know what Paul’s going through, please help us spread the word about our Need to Sleep campaign. If you follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn, simply sharing or liking one of our posts will go a long way to promote Paul’s story.

You can also get involved with our ‘show us your teddy’ challenge, and take a picture of yourself with your favourite cuddly toy from childhood. Peer’s already taken his picture with his faithful fuzzy friend Ted:

Your first cuddly toy is from a worry-free time when you could sleep easily. By posting your teddy selfie on social media, you can make your mates laugh and get them talking about Need to Sleep at the same time – job’s a good’un!

If you’re stuck for what to write next to your selfie, here are some ideas…

Twitter

• Here’s [bear’s name]. He’s helping @stepchange reach people with money worries, #needtosleepwww.needtosleep.org

or

• [Bear’s name] helps me sleep at night, but if money worries are keeping you up, @stepchange can help #needtosleep

Facebook

• Meet [bear’s name]. He helps me sleep at night, but if money worries are keeping you up, StepChange Debt Charity can help #needtosleep www.needtosleep.org

Order our campaign toolkit

Finally, someone you work with is probably struggling with money problems, or cares about someone who is. By downloading our Need to Sleep campaign toolkit and placing our posters around your workplace, you’re letting them know that help is at hand.

We hope to see your teddies on show on Monday!

Tags

• Living with debt

cuddly toymeet paulmoney worriesNeed to sleepteddy bear