According to a study by the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, bakers and postal workers in the country don’t get as much sleep as university lecturers and journalists. We asked readers for their experiences on how their jobs affect their body clock. Some names have been changed to protect identities.

Judy, 35, South Yorkshire: I’ve already developed health problems

Theatre stage door keeper – six hours of sleep a night

I have crazy shifts. I never do just a week of nights and a week of days – it’s a mix every week so your body clock just doesn’t adjust. Every day off you get is spent recovering and you never get two days off together. In the year I’ve been here I’ve already developed health problems which are related to – either cause or effect of – tiredness and fatigue. But the people who plan the rosters don’t work these shifts so they don’t realise how debilitating it is. Ironically, I’m responsible for safety and security in the building – but I’m so tired, who knows what errors I might be making?

Sue, 32, Bolton: I find drinking helps but it’s not great

Care worker – two to three hours of sleep a night

I work nights and it has an effect on me all week. It takes me two days to transition back round to night-time sleeping and I never get two days off together. I end up in a strange limbo where I’ll get a couple of hours at about 4am (on a day off), get up at around 6am or 7am and have to be in work again at 8pm that evening. It’s hard sometimes. I find drinking helps me sleep in the day but it’s not a great thing to do as much I do.

Stuart, 32, Manchester: I changed jobs as I had suicidal thoughts

Former consultant – seven hours of sleep a night

Typically I’d get up at 5am and get back home as late as 11pm, eat, get to bed after checking my emails and get to sleep for midnight before repeating. The lack of sleep affected me a lot. I would have suicidal thoughts which I spoke to my wife about. Nothing happened but it was fascinating and frightening to have those thoughts. Generally I just got fatter, more miserable, wanted to spend my weekends sleeping to catch up, became irritable, and spent my free time trying to get out of that work scenario. I changed jobs for a better balance, moving to an agency nearer home and then to work for a big company. In the end I’d just had enough so handed my notice in.

Top tips for getting to sleep include reading a book for 10-15 mins before sleep, preferably something interesting but difficult – that last mental effort should be enough to knock you out; keep a journal next to your bed to write down anything you’re mulling over in your head - this is very effective for clearing your mind for sleep ; breathing exercises are good for calming the body for rest, and not having screens works wonders, but try to cut them out an hour or so before your bed time. One of the best things I did, aside from getting a new job, was getting a personal “dumb phone” and only using that after work hours. This helped with swapping the brain over.

Hayley, 20, Glasgow: Shift work is awful

Waitress – five hours of sleep a night

Working in hospitality means sometimes not finishing until midnight and having to then walk the half-hour journey home. Once you’re safely in, you can’t just switch off and go to sleep – you have to have dinner, sometimes at one in the morning or later. I’m a student so if I have a class the next morning this also involves having a shower and doing any preparation that might be needed. This keeps you up quite late.Shift work is absolutely awful for not only your health but also your education. Sadly for the less privileged students, we have very little choice. Always on my feet and always dealing with customers means rest is basically nonexistent. Even when you’re sometimes doing 11 hour shifts you’re only allocated 30 minutes break which is barely enough time to eat.

Liz, 35, London: I’m constantly checking my emails

Barrister – six hours of sleep a night

My job affects my sleep very badly. There is an expectation that emails will be responded to promptly, and I find I check my emails constantly including immediately before falling asleep. It’s not uncommon for clients to send emails at, say, 10pm and expect a response that evening. Similarly, when I wake during the night (as I often do, thinking about work) I will check my emails and I will do the same first thing in the morning. It’s the nature of the job especially in these days of internet.

Graham, 65, Essex: I get up at 4.35am and get home at 10.30pm

Security officer – five and a half hours of sleep

I am based at a site which requires me to work a few hours early in the morning and again late in the evening. I live about a 30-minute car journey away, my morning alarm is set for 4.35am and I get home in the evenings at 10.30pm I need an afternoon nap of over an hour to keep me going but I feel tired and jaded a lot of the time. Being constantly tired limits physical activity during the week and also encourages an unhealthy diet because of eating times and the need for energy-boosting food and drinks. None of this is healthy. I have been working this pattern for more than 10 years now, but I have had enough.

I would like to give up the morning shift, but I cannot imagine anyone wanting to take them off my hands unless the pay rate is doubled. I have been trying to negotiate a way forward with my employers for over a year now, but with no real progress. Consequently, I am close to resigning. There are no solutions, but ways of helping to cope, really. Afternoon naps for me help, but by the end of the week, I have usually still accumulated a sleep deficit which needs to be offset on non-working days. I feel a very marked difference when I take holidays and have the chance of a normal night’s sleep.

Jay, 26, Kent: The atmosphere at works is often very tense

Library services assistant – four to six hours of sleep

We have been having difficulty with a new manager for the last few years and the atmosphere at work is often very tense. I find it increasingly difficult to switch off after work and often have nightmares about my manager. I am regularly exhaustedand it is affecting my performance. As I commute to London I also find it difficult to get basic housekeeping and cooking done without it infringing on my sleep time; commuting and work eats up a lot of time out of my day. I’ve fallen asleep at work for up to an hour before. This is despite working on a busy service desk and being constantly spoken to by students. A few times it’s been very embarrassing. I also fall asleep on my morning and evening commute which has frequently made me miss my stop.

Melissa, 27, Glasgow: I’m constantly drained

Cabin crew – five hours of sleep

I could be anywhere in the world and the time difference is a killer. I could be flying all through the night landing early in the morning and be expected to sleep on UK time while my body’s eight hours behind or in front. I am constantly drained and don’t know if I’m coming or going. I sometimes only have two days off after these kind of trips and it takes most of those two days to recover then I’m back doing it again. It’s a vicious circle. I wish some of the trips were longer and that we could have more days off. Consistency would help to as well as not flying from east to west so suddenly. I’ve tried lots of herbal remedies but nothing really helps.

Louise, 50, West Lancashire: I’m prone to migraines

Midwife – six to seven hours of sleep

Shift patterns ranging from long days to long nights (12 hours) leave me feeling “jet lagged” and disoriented. It would help if we were given gaps in shifts to allow recovery time. Some might suggests I change my job but for me it’s a vocation. I’m prone to migraines and feeling low at times, and I tend to like my own company more but I just rest when I can.

Caroline, 44, Bolton: I dream about set texts

Secondary school teacher – seven hours of sleep

As an English teacher I work at home every night marking books and planning lessons. I have perhaps one hour of watching TV before bed. I fall asleep but wake in the night and start worrying about work – this often stops me falling asleep again. My sleep is full of dreams about lessons, putting PowerPoints together, quotes from poems, set texts going round and round my mind! I feel like I never get a break! I have found that red wine, reading in bed and lavender oil sometimes helps though.