In the quest for a great night's sleep, making love has taken a back seat to Beethoven, Blunt and Buble according to new research from Travelodge*. More Brits are now choosing to listen to music than make love (1) before going to sleep each night.
Over 22 million adults (2) regularly listen to music at bedtime before dropping off.
A third of all Brits (3) believe classical music encourages the best 40 winks, making it Brits' bedtime number one. Five times as many women prefer to nod off listening to Mozart or Strauss than pop heart throb James Blunt (4).
Travelodge commissioned the study to explore Brits bed time habits and favourite snooze-inducing songs. Over half (5) of the population say listening to tunes at twilight improves their chances of sleep.
UK'S FAVOURITE BED TIME ALBUMS:
1. Various - Classical Chill Out (23%)
2. Nora Jones - Come Away With Me (11%)
3. Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water (6%)
4. Dido - No Angel (5%)
5. James Blunt - Back To Bedlam (5%)
6. Air - Moon Safari (3%)
7. Nat King Cole - The Unforgettable Nat King Cole (2%)
8. REM - Out Of Time (2%)
9. David Gray - White Ladder (2%)
10. Carpenters - Close To You (2%)
Soul is Brits' second favourite style of music to fall asleep to, followed by Pop, Jazz, Indie and R 'n' B.
Simon and Garfunkel's 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' is the individual track most adults would choose to fall asleep to. This is followed by James Blunt 'You're Beautiful'; Wet, Wet, Wet 'Love is all around'; Nat King Cole 'Unforgettable' and Nora Jones 'Come Away with Me'.
Wayne Munnelly, Director of Sleep, Travelodge said; "Listening to music, particularly classical music, is a great way to help you relax and fall asleep as it gives you a chance to slow down and take your mind off everything you've done during the day. Choice of music is really down to personal preference, the main point is you should choose tunes you enjoy to help you wind down."
Brits listen to music at least three nights of the week for an average of 16 minutes before sleep takes over.
CDs top the list of Brits' favourite way of listening to music at night. The radio was voted second, beating one of the must-have gadgets in 2005, iPods, into third.
TOP TUNES TO LEAVE YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT:
1. Meatloaf - Bat Out Of Hell
2. Prodigy - Firestarter
3. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
4. Motorhead - Ace Of Spades
5. Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict A Riot
- Ends -
* Travelodge research conducted by 72 point in February 2006 among 1600 UK adults.
For more information, please contact:
Jo Begbie
Travelodge PR Manager
0121 521 6624
07841 725 053
As the first budget hotel brand to launch in the UK in 1985, Travelodge currently has approximately 291 hotels across the UK in city centres, near attractions and airports.
Travelodge has three simple price bands: Supersaver (£10 room - available online), Saver (£26 room - available online) and Flexible (available online or by calling the Reservation Centre on 08700 850 950).
Statistics:
Base: 46,613,000 Britons over 18 yrs (acc. to ONS) 24,121,700 women and 22,491,300 men.
1. 18% (8.5m) prefer to listen to music; 13% (6m) prefer to make love
2. 48% - 22, 374, 240 adults
3. 33% 15, 382, 290 adults
4. 34% of women like classical music 6.8% like Blunts album at bedtime
5. 56% 26, 103, 280 adults
The survey revealed UK adults night time music preferences are identical no matter their location:
North West - Classical (35%)
North East - Classical (44%)
Yorkshire and the Humber - Classical (25%)
Scotland Classical - (29%)
Wales Classical - (50%)
West Midlands - Classical (45%)
East Midlands - Classical (37%)
East Anglia - Classical (23 %)
South West - Classical (29 %)
London - Classical (32 %)
South East - Classical (33%)
Northern Irish - Pop (30%)
Regions that say listening to music helps induce a good nights sleep:
East Anglia - 65%
Yorkshire and the Humber - 64%
North West - 62%
Scotland - 62%
Northern Ireland - 60%
London - 56%
Wales - 54%
East Midlands - 53%
South East - 53%
South West - 50%
West Midlands - 49%
North East - 48%