Premier Inn reveals UK’s obsession with mobile phones is ruining sleep routines

Premier Inn research reveals one in five people keep their phone nearby when they go to bed.

WEBWIRE – Tuesday, March 19, 2013

A Premier Inn study* has revealed six million Brits admit they sleep with their mobile phone.

Research carried out by the UK’s best value hotel chain, has found that one in five (20%) of the nation keep their phone in their bed, or even under their pillow, every single night, to ensure they don’t miss a single text message or email.

Such is the nation’s obsession with their smartphone that half (50%) of the 2,000 adults questioned admit that looking at their phone is the very last thing they do in the evening, and the first thing they do when they wake.

The mobile phone has now become such a regular fixture in our bedtime routine that it takes until 10:58pm for the average Brit to relinquish their device. Worryingly, one in five adults (21%) admit to regularly waking in the morning with their smartphone still glued to their hand, and a third (32%) claim they have ditched reading books in bed in favour of browsing the internet, social networking and catching up on work emails instead.

A social media savvy 20% bid a virtual ’goodnight’ to their friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter when tucked up in bed, with a further 8% acknowledging they are more likely to say goodnight to their online pals than their own partners that sleep by their side.

Although the nation may be smitten with their smartphones, the addiction to mobile technology appears to be having an adverse effect on love lives, with one in five (20%) Brits admitting they frequently row with their partner over how much time they spend on their phone while in bed. Almost one in three (32%) deemed using a mobile in bed anti-social.

Mark Fells Director of Digital at Premier Inn said: "In the last five years owning a smartphone has become common place for most adults and we all love the freedom and accessibility that technology allows us to have.

"However, with almost half of those surveyed struggling to take their mind off what they have read on their mobile, and a huge 69% receiving late night e-mails and text messages from work colleagues and their boss, it appears we need to learn to ’switch off’ when it comes to our bedtime routines.

“Relaxing and from the day’s activities is crucial to a good night’s sleep, which is why we have introduced a phone sitting service at a selection of Premier Inn’s cheap hotels across the country. We’ll keep your phone secure in a locked safe overnight and even arrange a wake-up call at your desired time to make sure you don’t oversleep.”

People can share their comments on bedtime routines at www.facebook.com/premierinn.

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Notes to Editors:
*This survey was conducted across 2,000 British adults by OnePoll, February 2013

About Premier Inn:
Award-winning Premier Inn is the UK’s best value hotel brand with over 647 budget hotels and more than 50,000 rooms across the UK and Ireland. Premier Inn bedrooms feature en-suite bathrooms, TV with Freeview, and Wi-Fi internet access. All Premier Inns feature a bar and restaurant; situated inside the hotel or adjacent, offering a wide range of food choices.

Premier Inn is open in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and India. On a domestic front, Premier Inn is the largest provider of budget hotels in London (within the M25).

Premier Inn supports Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. The charity needs to raise £50 million every year to support the care the hospital provides to some of the UK’s sickest children.