Many people consider family to be the most important part of the holidays. According to a survey of 2000 Americans, however, having family and friends over for the holidays can lead to some sleepless nights.
That poll, which was conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Serta Simmons Bedding, really dug deep into how having people over for the holidays can affect your sleep. Some of the things are what we would expect but others are a little surprising.
Out of those who were surveyed, 32% both have people at their homes and stay away at some point during the holiday season. Approximately one out of six do one or the other but not both.
As it turns out, your sleep can be affected, regardless of whether you are hosting or if you are being hosted. In addition, there was some light shed on how long people should stay, with 49% saying that four days or longer is too long. As it turns out, 79% of those who responded said that their guests stay for less, so it seems as if the word is already out.
When it comes to sleeping in the same bed with their partner, Gen Z was the most comfortable doing so at 79%. Gen X (30%) and millennials (31%) were lagging behind.
Those baby boomers, however, did more than share the same bed, they also were the group that was most likely to clean up after themselves. With 72% responding positively, perhaps they are the ones we should focus on when it comes to our guest list.
As far as the quality of sleep we receive, those who are hosting say that they lose about 2 1/2 hours of sleep every day to prepare for others to be in their home. Along the same lines, 33% said that they lost sleep because they were excited and 25% said they lost sleep because they were stressed out.
The head of sleep experience at Serta Simmons Bedding, JD Velilla, spoke about the importance of prioritizing a good night’s sleep. He said: “When and where possible, try to stick to your normal routine, which may include daily exercise, consistent mealtimes and sleep/wake times and pre-sleep activities like meditation.”
It wasn’t only the hosts who had a problem with sleeping, 79% of guests said that they felt compelled to go to bed and wake up at the same time as those who were hosting them. Being thrown off of your sleeping pattern in this way can be a real challenge.
Then again, 70% of those who host people for the holidays say they work hard to make sure their houseguests are getting the proper amount of sleep and sleeping comfortably. 30% of those who stay bring their own bedding, with the millennials being the most likely to do so at 37%. 12% don’t even worry about the host getting offended!
Preparing for people to stay at your home can be a challenge. Everybody has their own way of doing it, but 7% of hosts say that they hide valuables. Perhaps this is a good idea because 25% of guests said that they snoop around in the nightstand. Gen Z is the most likely to do so at 30% but baby boomers are the least, at 16%.
Just make sure that the stay is pleasant till the very end. This includes not bringing out the vacuum cleaner too early. It seems as if every group is offended, with 53% of Gen Z responding in this way but 70% of baby boomers saying they don’t want the vacuum cleaner out before they leave.
Are you planning to host over the holidays? Let us know!