They say there are only two things you should ever do in bed – sleep and make love.
But for many of us, it seems the former wins every time.
A survey of bedroom habits suggests that 85 percent of women would choose a good night’s sleep over having an orgasm.
For men, perhaps unsurprisingly, the figure is much lower, with 52 percent preferring a decent kip to a satisfying sex life.
The gender divide has emerged in a survey of 1,800 people by Good Housekeeping magazine.
The difference may be because women’s sleep quality appears to be worse than men’s, with 61 percent of women saying it varies, compared to 53 percent of men. But 79 percent of all respondents admitted to struggling with sleep in general, saying they got an average of one to two hours less sleep a night than they would like.
A survey of bedroom habits suggests that 85 percent of women would choose a good night’s sleep over having an orgasm (stock image)
While the majority said they ideally wanted at least eight hours a night, only 15 percent of women and 23 percent of men said they got it.
The in-depth look at Britain’s sleeping habits also revealed an interesting pattern of sleeping arrangements, with almost one in ten couples living together not sharing a bed. The study shows that 9 percent of people in a cohabiting couple sleep separately – 92 percent of that number sleep in separate rooms and 5 percent sleep in different beds in the same room.
Due to what is described as a ‘sleep gap’, there has been an increase in interest in sleep aids, including sleep trackers, nutritional supplements, aromatherapy and specialty teas, according to the magazine.
Its survey found that 72 per cent of people have already spent money on sleep aids, while four in five would be willing to buy specialist mattresses and pillows to help them sleep better.
Good Housekeeping is preparing to unveil its Sleep Awards for the best sleep-enhancing products. Earlier this week, Loughborough University announced it was working with Northampton charity St Andrew’s Healthcare on a research program into the sleep patterns of their patients.
It will try to uncover what benefits lifestyle changes can have on sleep patterns among those struggling with mental health issues.
Last year, a similar study found that patients who engaged in regular physical activity were less likely to suffer from insomnia.
