{"id":41117,"date":"2025-10-16T10:46:57","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T09:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/?p=41117"},"modified":"2026-02-05T13:16:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T12:16:56","slug":"what-we-learnt-from-our-sleep-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/news\/what-we-learnt-from-our-sleep-survey\/","title":{"rendered":"Snoozy Q\u2019s: What we learnt from our biggest ever sleep survey"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our huge sleep survey reveals Britain\u2019s bedtime habits. Over half of Brits voted to scrap Daylight Savings, with a third wanting to keep the lighter evenings of British Summer Time (BST).<\/h2>\n

As the clocks go back, Britain braces itself for its snooziest time of year. But while gaining an extra hour under the duvet might sound like bliss, the majority of us want to get rid of the bi-annual clock change.<\/h4>\n

Our huge survey asked over 100,000 Brits about their sleep habits, and over half of respondents voted to scrap Daylight Savings entirely (56.7%). But things aren\u2019t so straightforward, as we\u2019re split on which time to stick with \u2013 32% want to keep lighter evenings, while 24.5% prefer brighter mornings. And that\u2019s not the only thing we can\u2019t agree on! From flipping mattresses to how often you change your bedsheets, here\u2019s what Brits told us about their bedtime rituals.<\/h4>\n

\"Travelodge<\/p>\n

1. More than 1 in 10 only change their bed sheets monthly <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Hotel-fresh bedsheets are one of life\u2019s simplest pleasures. Yet 12.3% of our survey respondents admitted to changing their bedding once a month or less, and 2.1% do it just a few times a year! 46.4% of us enjoy a weekly change, 38.3% do it every two weeks, and 0.9% admitted they can\u2019t remember the last time they washed their sheets!<\/h4>\n

But how often should we really change our bedding? Well, the National Bed Federation says most people should wash their sheets at least every two weeks (and more often than that if you\u2019re particularly sweaty or have allergies). So if the clocks seem to change more often than your bedding, it\u2019s time to do some laundry!<\/h4>\n

2. More than half of Brits aren\u2019t sleeping well due to stress or anxiety <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Worries keeping you up at night? You\u2019re not alone \u2013 more than half of Brits who struggle to sleep cited stress or anxiety as the main culprit. Feeling too hot or cold came in a close second (45%), followed by partners’ snoring or hogging the duvet (25%). Other irks include noise (18.9%), screen time (13.1%), and an uncomfortable bed or mattress (12%). Even our furry friends are getting in the way, with 4.4% blaming pets in the bed for keeping them up \u2013 you know what they say about sleeping dogs, though!<\/h4>\n

With stress as the key driver of sleep loss, it\u2019s safe to say that reducing it with a good bedtime routine can usually help. Switch off that phone, enjoy a warm shower or bath, and maybe invest in a separate duvet to save your relationship!<\/h4>\n

3. More than half of Brits don\u2019t get 8+ hours of sleep at night <\/strong><\/h3>\n

When asked about how much sleep they get, only one in five Brits enjoys a full eight hours or more. Most respondents manage 6-7 hours (58.3%), 17.6% get 4-6 hours, and 2% get by on less than four hours a night! We know not everyone is able to get the recommended 7-9 hours per night. So if you\u2019re in this boat, try to focus on consistency, which can be just as important as sleep duration. Try to go to bed at a similar time every night (yes, that includes weekends!) to avoid feeling groggy the next day.<\/h4>\n

4. A quarter of Brits don\u2019t think mattresses should be flipped <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Our survey found that 27.1% of people think their mattress shouldn\u2019t be flipped (which is fair enough \u2013 most modern mattresses are one-sided, and designed to be rotated rather than flipped). Sleep experts warn that flipping a one-sided mattress can actually make it more uncomfortable and shorten its life. There\u2019s really no right answer to this debate, as it depends on the mattress. So if in doubt, check the manufacturer\u2019s instructions!<\/h4>\n

5. Over 1 in 3 Brits sleep with just one pillow <\/strong><\/h3>\n

When it comes to pillows, two is the magic number. 53% of us sleep with a pair, and 34.3% prefer a single pillow. The more indulgent 6.9% sleep with three, and 4.5% luxuriate with four or more. For the 1.4% who said \u2018as many as possible\u2019 \u2013 we admire your dedication, but have to ask \u2013 where do you put them all?!<\/h4>\n

There\u2019s no right number of pillows that you should sleep with, but you should aim for the fewest number that supports your head and neck. For most people, one pillow will cover it. For extra spinal support, side sleepers might like a pillow between their knees, and back sleepers might put one underneath their knees.<\/h4>\n

6. Over a third of Brits use blackout curtains or blinds to sleep <\/strong><\/h3>\n

What helps you get to sleep at night? 31.4% of us swear by blackout curtains and blinds, while 11.4% use lavender spray and essential oils to catch some Zs. Other sleeping aids include white noise (9.7%), earplugs (8.7%), eye masks (8%), herbal remedies (5.5%), sleep trackers (5.3%), sleeping pills (4.4%), and weighted blankets (3.9%). Interestingly, just under half of us don\u2019t use anything to fall asleep (48.3%). Although if you\u2019re part of the 72.6% who struggle to get to sleep, you might want to give some of these a try!<\/h4>\n

7. Over 1 in 10 Brits are sleeping on a 10+ year old mattress <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Exactly a third of us are sleeping on mattresses between 1 and 3 years old (33.3%), with another third on a 4-5 year old one (34%). One in ten treated themselves to a new mattress in the past year (10.4%), but more than 20% of us are still snoozing on mattresses over eight years old!<\/h4>\n

The National Bed Federation suggests replacing your mattress every 7-10 years. Why? Because we sweat half a pint every night and shed a pound of skin each year. It\u2019s a gross reality, but it leads to a lot of wear and tear that can impact your sleep. You might even need to change yours more often than this if you use your bed for more than sleeping e.g. reading and watching TV. Some signs that it\u2019s time to replace your mattress include waking up with aches and pains, hearing creaks in the night, or if it\u2019s lumpy or stained. And for the 1.6% who can\u2019t remember when you bought your mattress, you\u2019re probably due a change!<\/h4>\n

8. Nearly 1 in 12 Brits sleep without a duvet <\/strong><\/h3>\n

When it comes to bedclothes, the duvet is king, with 91.9% of us sleeping under one every night. 31% like to feel extra cosy with a sheet as well, while the 3.5% who run hot prefer to sleep with just a sheet. Surprisingly, 3.4% opt to sleep without any covers at all (perhaps in the world\u2019s cosiest pyjamas?). And 1.2% prefer to snooze under a good old-fashioned throw.<\/h4>\n

There\u2019s no right or wrong answer when it comes to bedclothes. It\u2019s all down to personal preference, though you may want to consider breathability, how hot or cold you tend to run, and what\u2019s easiest to wash.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Our huge sleep survey reveals Britain\u2019s bedtime habits. Over half of Brits voted to scrap Daylight Savings, with a third wanting to keep the lighter evenings of British Summer Time (BST). As the clocks go back, Britain braces itself for its snooziest time of year. But while gaining an extra hour under the duvet might […]","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":31449,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}