A new survey has shown that single people not only take longer to fall asleep, but also sleep for less hours per night.

Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed (72%), in a relationship, say that they fall asleep in an hour or under, compared to only one quarter (25%) of single Brits.

82% of those in relationships take under three hours to fall asleep, while 38% of those who aren’t in relationships said the same.

Get Laid Beds, who commissioned the study, also found that 45% of those without a partner get over seven hours of sleep a night, compared to 49% of those in relationships that said the same.

Charisse Cooke, Relationship Psychotherapist at Charisse Cooke Therapy, says:

“Psychologically, the presence of a partner represents security and reduces feelings of danger, loneliness and isolation. Even though sleeping with a partner can sometimes cause disruption to our sleeping patterns, due to snoring, restlessness or medical health issues, the vast majority of people prefer that to sleeping alone. This speaks of our interdependence with other people and the importance of social relationships and sense of community, even in our modern, individualistic lives.”

 The research also delved into people’s sleeping routine habits, to find out if having a certain routine before bed affects their snoozing.

It revealed that reading before bed is the most effective ritual to undertake, with over half of the people who read before bed admitting to always having more than seven hours sleep a night.

However, taking a walk before bed is less than seven times as effective as reading, with only a third of people who do this admitting to more than seven hours sleep per night. A further third of those that take walks before bed said they get under four hours of sleep a night.

It was also revealed that 2 in 5 respondents (43%) of those that scroll through social media before going to sleep, says that it takes them 2 hours once turning it off, to fall asleep.

A quarter of people who scroll through social media before bed get less than four hours sleep, while watching TV is proven worse as a third of Brits who make this the last thing they do at night, admit to getting under four hours sleep.

To view the full data from Get Laid Beds, view their post here.