More than 16 million adults (36%) regularly talk in their sleep and 11 per cent have revealed an important secret while in the land of nod.
The Travelodge survey of sleep talkers' partners discovered the top five secrets revealed while asleep are:
- Details of an important deal at work (24% of sleep talkers)
- Lying at work (18%)
- A friends infidelity (12%)
- The sleepers own infidelity (6%)
- A crime committed by the snoozer (3%)
However, the most common conversation topics for Sleep talkers are:
- Work (24%)
- Family (12%)
- Partner (5%)
- Food (4%)
- Friends (4%)
The research also found the act of sleep talking alone is ruining relationships.
One in five partners of sleep talkers (20%) admit their other half's habit regularly disrupts their sleep and 17 per cent (almost three million adults) regard it as a major issue in their relationship.
Over three quarters of unlucky partners (76%) in the UK lose at least an hour's sleep every night thanks to their partners rampant pillow talking - the equivalent of a month and a half of lost sleep every year, or five years' sleep over a lifetime*.
One per cent of adults (over 160,000 people) admit to leaving their partner as a result of their sleep talking and 3 per cent of sleep talkers' partners (500,000 adults) regularly find themselves sleeping in a separate room.
Chris Idzikowski, Director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, said: "This report is fascinating as sleep talking is a relatively under-researched disorder. It can take place during any stage of sleep although it most frequently occurs in stage two, or light sleep, and never when the individual is dreaming. There is no clear causal explanation but it has been associated with other sleep disorders such as sleep walking as well as medical complaints. Reducing stress and anxiety levels in addition to getting plenty of sleep are good preventative measures. If the sleep talking episodes are very frequent, extensive and combined with other disorders such as night terrors, it is worth seeking advice."
Two per cent of sleep talkers say their nocturnal nattering is due to a guilty conscience but most Brits blame their sleep talking on stress:
- Stress (16%)
- Alcohol (8%)
- Nightmares (7%)
- Caffeine (5%)
- Eating too late (4%)
Wayne Munnelly, Director of Sleep at Travelodge said: "Stress is a major contributor to all sorts of sleep disorders like sleep talking. If stress is a problem, try keeping a pen and paper by the bed to write down anything that's worrying you during the night and help clear your mind. Its important for sleep talkers to relax as much as possible in the evening to bring on a mood thats more conducive to sleep at bed time."
-ENDS-
TIPS FOR A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP:
- Keep the room temperature around 18 degrees
- Turn the lighting down lower the later it gets
- Have a warm shower before bed to help relaxation
- Avoid caffeinated drinks after 8pm
- Keep a pen and paper next to the bed so you can make a note of anything thats worrying you if you wake during the night
- Stick to bed times get your body into a rhythm
Notes to Editors:
For more information, please contact
Jo Begbie, Travelodge PR Manager
01844 358 624/07841 725 053
Travelodge research conducted by 72 point in June 2006 among 2000 UK adults.
Regional variations:
The study revealed where people most prone to sleep talking live in the UK:
- Plymouth (78%)
- Buckingham (67%)
- York (63%)
- Sunderland (60%)
- Leeds (58%)
- Belfast (55%)
- Birmingham (52%)
- Sheffield (50%)
- Coventry (50%)
- Manchester (48%)
The research also revealed the impact of where you live on what you talk about:
- 33% of sleep talkers from Buckingham will talk about work
- 29% of sleep talkers from Nottingham talk about family
- 20% of sleep talkers from Sunderland talk about friends
- 13% of sleep talkers from Oxford talk about their children
- 10% of sleep talkers in Sheffield talk about their partner
- Loosing one hour a night = 365 hours a year. 365 hours/8 hours (experts' recommended amount of sleep per night) = 45 nights sleep.
45 nights x 47 years average working life = 2115 nights sleep in a lifetime
2115/365 days = 5.79 years of lost nights' sleep
- Figures based on Office of National Statistics
46,613,000 Britons over 18 yrs - 16,687,454 British adults sleep talk
As the first budget hotel brand to launch in the UK in 1985, Travelodge currently has
approximately 292 hotels in city centres, near attractions and airports.