According to the latest findings in sleep studies, at least one-third of adults suffer from ‘Sunday Scaries’, with research suggesting it is the hardest night of the week to sleep.
For anyone who hasn’t come across the term ‘Sunday Scaries’ before, it basically refers to the feeling of dread, anxiety and general stress one feels at the end of the week, typically because they know they have work the next morning. Believe us, we’ve all been there.
Now, as per a study by the Sleep Foundation, it is estimated that around one-third of adults suffer from this common psychological and stress-related phenomenon, with approximately 79.5% of adults stating they have had trouble falling asleep on Sundays compared to other days of the week.
Moreover, in a separate research project carried out by the organisation back in August 2022, roughly 31% of US adults said that they thought Sunday was the hardest night to try and sleep, with Monday the second most common answer with nearly half as many votes (16.9%).
While the data analysed is pulled from a survey of US adults, given that most countries and people have the same work-life schedule — a five-day workweek followed by a weekend that always feels too short — it isn’t much of a stretch to extrapolate these numbers to cover the UK and further afield.
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In fact, if we look at the most recent UK numbers from October 2022, research by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) suggests that us Brits might struggle even more with Sunday sleeping, as around two-thirds say they suffer from anxiety with Monday looming.
While the numbers backed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) suggest those 58 and older are the worst affected, UK stats suggest 74% of those aged 18-24 experience “heightened anticipatory anxiety” as the weekend comes to a close.
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In summary, more than half of those surveyed across all age groups (54.4%) admitted that stress and anxiety were key aspects in keeping them up. We wouldn’t go so far as to call in an epidemic, but it’s clearly an aspect of mental health that continues to be overlooked.
Also sometimes referred to as the ‘Sunday blues‘, the susceptible next-day worries and dreading the week to come is nothing new (we remember that feeling even from back in our school days) but the investigation into how affects us and our sleep patterns is a field that keeps getting bigger.
So, whether it’s knowing how much uni work you’ve got to do next week or your sheer struggle to sit and listen to (insert annoying colleague’s name here) in the Monday meeting, just know that you’re not alone and it’s completely natural.
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In terms of tips that have helped us, putting your phone down and getting away from screens in general as it gets later always helps your mind start shutting down and if you really can’t stop thinking about work, a to-do list can help you calm down and make you feel organised and prepared for the morning.
Remember, guys — you’ve got this. You’ve done it countless times before and whatever it is you’re dreading, it CAN wait till Monday.
Trains from Manchester ‘extremely limited’ amid record heatwave
Daisy Jackson
‘Extremely limited’ train services are running across the North West this week as the country melts in a record-breaking heatwave.
Northern has reached out to passengers to warn that a ‘significantly reduced’ number of trains are operating in and out of Manchester.
They’re urging people to avoid travelling at all unless your journey is ‘absolutely essential’.
And if you do have to travel, they’ve warned of ‘significantly longer waiting times, busy trains and short-notice cancellations’.
The disruption is set to continue all day today and into tomorrow, Friday 26 June, as temperatures up north are forecast to hit 34ºC and an Amber weather warning for extreme heat covers much of the country.
Northern has assured passengers that they ‘are doing everything we can to keep people moving as efficiently as possible’.
Passengers are encouraged to check their journey before setting off, carry water, and avoid peak times where possible.
If you chose not to take a planned journey, you can claim a full refund on your ticket, or travel on another day using Northern’s ticket easement.
Trains from Manchester ‘extremely limited’ amid record heatwave. Credit: Northern
You can see the full travel advice for Northern HERE.
Avanti has issued a similar message, reducing one train per hour on the London-Manchester route and offering refunds for tickets booked for Tuesday 23, Wednesday 24, Thursday 25 or Friday 26 June.
You can also use those tickets to travel flexibly any time up to and including Tuesday 30 June.
Northern said in a notice to passengers: “Due to the continued extreme heat, we have significantly reduced the number of trains running on routes in and out of Manchester, and services remain in high demand. This will now continue into Friday, 26 June.
“We strongly recommend customers consider whether their journey is necessary and if customers do choose to travel this week, they are advised to prepare for significantly longer waiting times, busy trains and short-notice cancellations.
“We would ask all customers to only travel if your journey is absolutely essential and to check your full journey before setting off.”
Here’s our petition for ‘Wonderwall’ to become England’s new football anthem
Danny Jones
All things considered, England have made a great start to the 2026 World Cup, pitching themselves as one of the great entertainers this tournament, and the scenes of the supporters and players alike serenading an entire stadium with ‘Wonderwall’ after the full-time whistle gave us chills.
So why not time for a change?
After all, that feels a lot like what this World Cup squad is about: a new manager, new teammates, not clinging to the previous ways of playing – and perhaps it’s time to put ‘Sweet Caroline’ to one side.
Now, we’re by no means saying that we’re ‘done’ with the Neil Diamond anthem that has been reborn as a Three Lions anthem, but look at how good it was watching England belting out Oasis with the fans.
“Today is gonna be the day that England beat Croatia 4-2”, as BBC’s Match of the Day cleverly quipped.
Obviously, we’re biased as Mancs, but we also think there’s something special about having that particular track feel so good to hear again.
As much as we love Oasis, for a long time, it felt like we couldn’t enjoy arguably their biggest-ever single anywhere near as much as we once did.
We assume it’s something akin to hearing ‘Mr Brightside’ non-stop for what felt like millennia, and in truth, hearing those repetitions of “ba, ba, ba… SO GOOD, SO GOOD!” over and over again at sporting fixtures beyond just national team games has taken the magic out of it at times.
Perhaps it’s just a case of saturation in certain settings and songs simply being overplayed – FIFA’s co-hosts over in the US certainly helped see to that when it came to ‘Wonderwall’ for a long time.
On the other hand, it feels like we’ve now come full circle; singing those famous lyrics at the top of our lungs in a sea of Mancs and fans travelling from all over to Heaton Park for Live ’25 last year felt better than ever, and like we’d all remembered how great a tune it’s always been. So did this…
In fact, this felt so emotional that you’ve got people who aren’t even English praising both those on the pitch and up in the stands for the moment online.
Even the admittedly rather American Man vs Food himself, Adam Richman (though he does have British ancestry), felt compelled to write a moving response on social media: “Shut up. You’re the one that’s crying. Bravo, England.”
He’s far from the only one who was left bowled over by the atmosphere – us included.
What do you think? Is it time for a new go-to tournament anthem for the Three Lions moving forward?
Danny Jones -
16th March 2023 
