Surprising habits Brits enjoy in bed - and it's not just sleeping

Surprising habits Brits enjoy in bed - and it's not just sleeping New research by Silentnight has shed light on the surprising things Brits do on their mattresses every year. In a single year, Brits press the snooze button 402 times, drink 103 cups of tea, and have 13 arguments in bed. A survey of 2,000 adults highlights how much of daily life occurs on our mattresses, with people having 202 intimate moments, 18 breakfasts in bed, and nine food or drink spills annually. Bedrooms also serve as primary hubs for catch-ups, averaging three end-of-day debriefs per week—whether in person or over the phone. Over 12 months, Brits tune into roughly 44 movies or television shows right from their beds. Aside from sleep, favourite bedroom pastimes include reading books (23%), cuddling up with a partner (20%), and enjoying quiet relaxation (15%). Unsurprisingly, 57% of people see their bedroom as the place where they feel most comfortable and relaxed. In fact, nearly one-third (31%) confessed they would gladly remain in bed all day if given the chance. The research was commissioned by Silentnight in partnership with Professor Sasha Handley, a sleep historian at the University of Manchester, to mark its 80th anniversary and look at how the lifecycle of a mattress today fits into history. Professor Sasha Handley said: “The modern-day mattress is such a key feature in our everyday lives. While beds are designed as spaces to sleep, they have never been used for that alone. "Across the centuries, beds have been places to read, socialise and recover from illness, with each generation bringing new habits and quirks to the bedroom. “What we sleep on has changed, but throughout that journey, the bed has remained a place of comfort, care and retreat, with individual rituals turning a bed from somewhere we sleep into a space that feels like our own. “It’s interesting to see the role the mattress is playing in 2026 and where that will sit in our history of sleep.” The research also revealed how people share their space, with 26% regularly welcoming their children into bed. Pets prove more divisive, with 16% strongly in favour of sharing their bed with a furry companion, compared with 31% who are firmly against it, according to the OnePoll data. Comfort sits at the heart of the bedroom’s appeal, with six in 10 saying their mattress is the most important element of their bed, ahead of fresh sheets (54%) and the duvet (37%). Despite all the other activities taking place on it, sleep unsurprisingly remains the mattress’s primary role, with nearly all respondents (94%) believing their mattress is important for maintaining a good sleep routine and getting quality rest. A further 88% say having the right mattress is important for their overall health. Yet despite the amount of time people spend on them, 22% admit they are unsure how often a mattress should be replaced. Ian Lambert, from Silentnight said: “The mattress we sleep on is integral to the quality of sleep we experience, yet so many of us still don’t understand what our mattress should do for us, how to choose the right option and when it’s time to say goodbye. “As we use our anniversary to take stock of the evolution of our mattresses and sleep habits and have some fun looking at the lifecycle of it in 2026, it’s an opportunity to celebrate just how far we’ve come with understanding sleep and the products that support it. “The main piece of advice is, as we’ve seen in the research, mattresses are personal to you and it’s about spending time understanding the options available to maximise comfort and sleep quality.”