UK Sleep index: The best city for a blissful sleep

At Online Bedrooms we have created the UK Sleep Index to reveal which city is the best place for uninterrupted sleep -and Belfast has come out on top

We  looked at the capitals of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales and considered their levels of air pollution, light pollution, noise, cloud levels, average sleep and average hotel cost to find the winner.

The findings revealed Belfast is the best place to get a good night’s sleep with Edinburgh being the worst. 

Belfast came in first thanks to its low levels of noise pollution, air pollution and average cost of a night in a hotel. The Northern Ireland capital had the lowest levels of air pollution at 23.12 PM10 with London having the worst at 62.9 PM10, this is no surprise given its large transport system.

PM10 refers to the tiny dust particles in the sky caused by cars, factories and other construction work. High PM10 levels means there are more particles in the air, making the air less healthy to breathe.

Surprisingly London has the least amount of road noise pollution despite being such a hectic city, with just 19% of residents affected by traffic throughout the night. 

Belfast came in second with 23% of residents being affected by traffic, Cardiff was third at 28%.

The research found that Edinburgh suffered from the most noise pollution with the disruptions impacting the sleep of 38% of residents. 

London does however have the most light pollution due to skyscrapers and other buildings omitting artificial light throughout the night - with 11.4 mcd/m2 (luminance per square metre). 

Light pollution is believed to have a negative impact on our bodies natural sleeping rhythm which can have a negative effect on our health over time. 

Cardiff  ranked second for having high light pollution with 4.49 luminance per square metre. Edinburgh on the other hand has the least amount of light pollution giving residents a better sleeping pattern. 

Overall, Cardiff ranked as the second best city to get a good night's sleep. Not only did it have the highest level of cloudy days giving residents less darkness to sleep in,  but it also has the cheapest hotel charges at just £66. 

A night in the rest of the cities will cost visitors more, with the average stay in Belfast being £86, £100 in London and £102 in Edinburgh. 

Due to its high levels of cost, air pollution and light pollution, London ranked third place overall. 

Methodology:

Sources correct as of February 2024

• Light pollution levels (measured in mcd/m2) - https://www.lightpollutionmap.info
• Daylight levels (measured by the average of cloudy days over a period of 10 years) - https://www.worldweatheronline.com/ 
• Noise pollution (measured by the percentage of population affected) - https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/human/noise/noise-fact-sheets/noise-country-fact-sheets-2021 
• Sleep hours (measured by the percentage of population getting optimum sleep) - https://plushcare.com/blog/world-sleep-trends/ 
• Average cost of hotel for one night - https://www.budgetyourtrip.com/
• Air pollution - https://www.numbeo.com/

The light pollution levels, daylight levels, noise pollution levels, percentage of the population getting optimum sleeping hours, average cost of a night sleep in a hotel and air pollution levels have all been analysed for this index. 

Each city was given a nominal score which was totalled up to give a final ranking. 

London and Edinburgh both resulted in the same points score, so London was awarded an extra point based on higher population levels to give an equal ranking.