We think you deserve a great night’s sleep every night – not just when you’re staying in one of our hotels! So we’ve created a Sleep Etiquette Guide to help you and your partner feel well rested. Plus, to help you drift off, we’ve also launched a new Rest Easy Stories podcast series – narrated by Sir Lenny Henry himself!
Do not disturb! Our Sleep Etiquette Guide and Rest Easy podcasts are here to help you relaaaax
Did you know that four in 10 of us blame our other half for an interrupted night’s sleep? We asked 2000 people all about sharing a bedroom with a partner, and snoring, restlessness and duvet hogging were some of the top annoyances. Using phones at bedtime, sleep talking and turning on the light late at night were other regular disturbances.
More than a quarter of couples don’t go to bed at the same time, and a third confessed that they don’t get enough quality sleep each night, with an average of six hours and 53 minutes of rest – only 53% of that is considered deep, uninterrupted sleep.
Silentnight’s sleep expert Hannah Shore, who worked with us to help bring this sleep guide to life, said:
“The research has shown a real variation of routines are had across the UK. While a good number share a harmonious sleep schedule, others are finding their night’s sleep is interrupted by their partner. Technology can play a part in causing disruption, mainly with its use while someone else tries to nod off, so there’s definitely work to be done on ensuring everyone enjoys getting their rest without a negative impact.”
Common sleep disturbances from the survey included other halves staying up to watch TV shows once their partner has gone to bed, as well as social media scrolling under the covers.
While 36% of those we asked think that technology negatively impacts their sleep – like blue light from devices and the TV being on – 35% believe it can have a positive impact thanks to sleep aids like relaxation apps, podcasts and white noise machines.
Our handy Premier Inn Sleep Etiquette Guide is here to help you incorporate technology into your bedtime routine in a way that works best for you and your partner – including which volume settings are best for sleep podcasts.
Sleep expert Hannah Shore added:
“We’ve created a sleep etiquette guide to help people make little tweaks to their routines that can bring great reward – and great rest. The research showed an average of less than seven hours sleep, and half of that being interrupted, so there’s definitely room for improvement. Simple things such as agreeing times to put phones down, hit the lights or even allowing others to get to sleep first can make all the difference.”
Top 10 ways sleep is impacted, according to our survey
- Snoring
- Restless movements
- Pulling the bedding over too far to ‘their side’
- Hogging the bed/ rolling over onto ‘my side’
- Temperature preferences
- Alarms
- Sleep talking
- Use of electronic devices
- Late-night lights
- Fall asleep with audible sound playing in headphones
Sleep expert Hannah Shore's top tips
- Be respectful of each other: always keep the bedroom quiet and dark while your partner is sleeping
- No switching on big lights: Don’t switch them on when someone’s trying or already asleep and avoid banging about – keep noise to a minimum
- Get your things ready for the next morning: If you’re getting up before your other half, make sure you have things set aside the night before to minimise disruption
- Listen to a podcast…quietly: A podcast can help you switch off from all the things going around in your head, but if you do, make sure you use headphones with volume at a sensible level as to not interrupt your partner
- Switch off audio automatically: If you are listening to something to get to sleep, set it to turn off automatically after 30 minutes as you should be in a deep enough sleep by then
- Turn brightness down on your phone: Use eye comfort mode on your device to rid of harsh blue tones and instead have subtle yellow ones
- Don’t listen or read anything too stimulating: Content is important, you don’t want anything that’s going to keep you awake because it’s too exciting – and don’t check emails or watch something too stimulating
With six in 10 of those surveyed admitting to feeling guilty if they interrupt their partner in some way – and 29% thinking they could do with aligning their routines – there’s never been a better time to read our Sleep Etiquette Guide, listen to Sir Lenny Henry’s Rest Easy podcasts, and enjoy some well-deserved sleep. Plus, find out why our Premier Inn hotels are famous for helping guests sleep well before booking your next getaway.