Snoring voted nation's most annoying bed habit, national sleep survey finds

Three times more people rate their partner's snoring (43%) as the most annoying habit in bed, with stealing the duvet the next most hated characteristic, a national sleep survey has found.

The Hastings Hotels group surveyed 8,500 people to find out what really influences sleeping and bedtime habits.

Other grievances include; partners coming to bed late (7.5%) and using screens (4.6%).

Respondents cited partners pretending not to hear the children during the night, playing videos in bed and waking them up to say that they were snoring as the most annoying night-time irritations.

Despite all of this, 42% of people prefer to have company in bed, while 24% like it all to themselves.

The perfect combination for a good night's sleep is a good mattress, comfortable bedding and the correct room temperature, according to three quarters of survey respondents.

"Room temperature and noise were the two top factors inhibiting sleep followed by uncomfortable pillows and mattresses," said Julie Hastings, marketing director of Hastings Hotels.

"Drinking caffeine was joined by a new scourge of the active mind, night-time screen use, while annoying partners were cited by 11% of respondents."

When it comes to winding down, one in four said that reading a book or listening to music helps them achieve a restful sleep while a little over one in 10 like a night-time tipple.

"Meditation, a hot bath or a warm drink are the go-to solutions for the remaining 25% of people," Ms Hastings added.

The large majority of those surveyed - 69% - sleep between six and eight hours a night, with 22% of respondents getting between four and six hours.

"We should spare a thought for the 1.29% among us who average less than four hours per night," said Ms Hastings.

"Some 77% of us claim to sleep on our sides, 13% on our fronts and only 10% of us on our backs, which is news to the army of long-suffering partners of snorers."

The survey chimes with recent data that states one in seven older Irish adults is not getting enough sleep, according to Trinity College Dublin researchers.

The university found that the duration of sleep increases with age, with adults aged 50 years and older sleeping for an average of seven hours and 42 minutes a night, with pensioners, the unemployed and those on anti-depressants recording the longest periods of sleep.

Research shows that sleeping too little or too much are risk factors for chronic disease and impairments in cognitive and mental health.