Key Summary
- 65 percent experienced sleep deprivation during the June heatwave.
- 86 percent said their homes were too hot during the time.
- The third heatwave of the summer will arrive this week.
About two in three people said they had lost at least three hours of sleep each night, according to a YouGov survey done for Greenpeace.
The YouGov poll, involving 2,135 adults in the UK, revealed that 65 percent of the people struggled to get sleep during the nights. The data was collected between 30 June and 1 July 2026.
The survey also showed widespread discomfort at home: 86 percent said their homes were too hot, and one quarter reported someone in their household feeling physically unwell because of the heat.
While more than half (56 percent) said their homes need upgrades such as air conditioning, heat pumps and insulation to withstand extreme heat, but only around 1 in 8 (13 percent) found such measures affordable.
The heatwave also hit businesses, with 60 percent of poll respondents saying their workplaces had been “too hot” and more than a quarter saying they had been less productive.
Nearly one in 10 reported working in conditions they felt were unsafe.
Heatwave forecast
The Met Office has forecast that a third heatwave this summer could arrive this week, with southern England facing daytime highs around 34°C on Thursday, and isolated spots possibly reaching 35°C by Friday and Saturday.
Experts say the extreme temperatures are driven in large part by continued fossil fuel use and the broader climate crisis.
Heatwaves already contribute to elevated mortality: the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) previously estimated that more than 10,000 excess deaths occurred during summer heatwaves from 2020 to 2024.
Determining the death toll from the latest events requires detailed statistical analysis, which takes time.
Mel Evans, head of climate at Greenpeace UK, said that the poll exposes the brutal reality of dragging our feet on climate action in the UK, such as mass sleep deprivation.
“Heatwaves are now a creeping health, housing and economic emergency that is costing families money they don’t have. And as these extremes become our new normal, the public wants the corporate polluters who made this mess to pay their fair share towards fixing it.”
