Cast your mind back 10 years and describe your routine before going to bed, it might have involved a bit of TV, reading or getting your things ready for the early morning wake up call. Now ask yourself the same question for today’s routine. A study has revealed that 72% of you check their social networking profiles before going to bed – a stark change when contrast when compared to the past.
The study of 6,000 people was performed by Travelodge (you know the ones who like their customers to have a great nights sleep). It showed that many British people are addicted to social networking, discovering that users tweet, poke and interact virtually with friends even when in bed – the peak time for activity is apparently 9:45pm.
18% of those surveyed admitted to Tweeting in bed, with 20% of all British adults checking Twitter for news on their favourite celebrity. Another surprising statistic was that 65% of those surveyed check their text messages before going to sleep – that’s a little lower than we expected. One thing that did shock us was the average time texting before going to sleep is 9 minutes with 40% of respondents admitting they text/chat with friends when in bed.
One surprising and perhaps shocking statistic is the 1 in 5 of the panel admitted to stopping mid way through love making to check a new text message – what a crazy world we live in.
The study concludes that many Brits lose sleep due to technology and social networking, it revealed that 27% of people are frequently awoken in the middle of the night by a text message or email alert.
Is it wrong to social network in Bed?
Travelodge Sleep Director, Leigh McCarron said: “Alarm clocks have been shown to cause heart rhythm irregularities which can cause a heart attack. The alarm clock’s strident ringing tone can be a shock to the body and mind. My recommendation is to wake up naturally as the awakening is part of a natural sleep-wake cycle and it can help you feel less groggy. Make your last thought before sleeping to be your intention to wake up at a particular time and sleep in complete darkness to aid a natural wake-up call.”
I love social networking but would never let it hurt my ‘real life’ and if forced to choose – I’d have to say I’m a lover not a Tweeter ;-).
