10 million working under covers says Co-op Beds
03 April 2018
Taking a duvet day has taken on a new meaning for 10 million Brits who now work from their beds at least once a week.
New research from Co-op Beds published today (3 April) shows the widespread acceptance of working from home has led to 25 per cent of employees now working under covers on a weekly basis, and one in ten doing it every day.
This number doubles in the Capital, with over 50 per cent of all Londoners working weekly between the sheets, and one in five doing it daily.
The study reveals that on average employees spend five hours a week – that is 235 hours a year, the equivalent of 10 days - toiling from their beds.
Those aged between 25 and 34 are most likely to be found lying down on the job with 21% doing it daily and a further 22% every few days.
The Co-op Beds Report, which offers a snapshot of bedroom life in 2018, also pulls back the covers to reveal we spend an average of 15 hours a week watching TV, seven hours reading, six hours a week browsing the internet and using social media, and four hours a week online shopping.
James Holland, Managing Director of Co-op Beds, said: “It is widely believed that we spend a third of our lives in bed, but this new research suggests that figure could be a lot higher with so many people now working from their beds. Watching TV and films, reading and using social media now take up a considerable amount of time in the bedroom. Altogether, 42 hours a week are spent in bed not sleeping.”
Uncoupling is significant, with one in ten couples always sleeping in separate beds. Almost a third (27 per cent) of adults in a relationship admit they do not share a bed together every night, including 23 per cent of married couples. Some of the reasons people are choosing to sleep separately are bad boudoir habits. Almost 50% of all questioned said their partner’s worst habit in bed was snoring, followed by hogging the covers (24%), moving around a lot (22%), taking up too much space (21%) and getting up to use the toilet (19%).
This may also explain why over half of those questioned described their sleep as disturbed and that they often woke up during the night, compared to a fifth of adults who slept peacefully.
However, petting is proving popular, as 64 per cent of pet lovers were happy to share their beds with their cats and dogs.
A hot, milky drink before bedtime is not helping people get to sleep, as only 10 per cent of us enjoy one, the same number that drink coffee before dropping off. Water is the most popular pre-bedtime beverage (33%), followed by tea (20 per cent).
Ends
Craig Brownsell
Press & Media Manager
0161 692 4283 / 07843 648467
craig.brownsell@coop.co.uk
coop.co.uk