- New research has revealed that Aberdeen residents nap more often than people in any other British city
- One in five Brits nationwide admit to napping at work with one in ten regularly doing so while on public transport
- Gen Z has been revealed as the sleepiest generation, with one in five admitting to napping more than once a day
Aberdeen has been crowned the ‘Nap-ital’ of the UK with almost two in five (39%) residents of the Scottish city enjoying a daily snooze, according to new research.
The study, conducted by sleep experts at Silentnight, revealed more than nine in ten Brits (91%) nationwide enjoy a nap, with around a quarter (24%) napping daily and three in five (60%) snoozing at least once a week.
At the other end of the sleep scale, residents of York rarely indulge in a snooze, with just 8% of people in the cathedral city taking daily a nap.
Silentnight, the UK’s most trusted sleep brand has conducted the study into Brits’ napping habits to recognise World Sleep Day on March 17th, an international celebration of the benefits of good and healthy sleep.
The research shows Gen Z is the sleepiest generation, with nearly one in five (17%) admitting to multiple naps per day, compared to just 5% of over 65s who partake in a daily snooze.
The most common reasons for napping include not having had enough sleep the night before (57%), followed by the need to relieve stress (28%), with 14% of people using naps as a way to cure a hangover.
When asked where we like to nap, one in five (20%) Brits admitted to napping at work, with another 11% regularly dropping off while on public transport and almost one in ten (9%) snoozing on the floor. The most popular places to take a nap are on the sofa (58%) and in bed (48%).
The average nap time is around 33 minutes, with Sunday named the day we most like to snooze and peak napping time, according to the research, is between 2pm and 3pm, with a quarter (25%) of nappers snoozing between these afternoon hours.
Aberdeen is the region which naps the most often, with the top and bottom five nap-loving cities listed below, based on how many residents indulge in a daily nap.
TOP 5 NAP-LOVING CITIES
- Aberdeen 39%
- Cardiff 38%
- Wolverhampton 34%
- Newcastle 31%
- Plymouth 30%
BOTTOM 5 NAP-LOVING CITIES
- York 8%
- Cambridge 9%
- Leicester 13%
- Leeds 13%
- Norwich 15%
Sleep expert at Silentnight, the UK’s most trusted sleep brand, Hannah Shore, reveals that napping can be good for us, as long as we don’t nap for too long and too often.
Hannah said: “The potential benefits of a nap can depend on a number of different variables, including how tired you feel, the length of time you snooze for and the time of day you drop off.
“Power naps can be restorative and help reduce fatigue during the day, while if you’ve not had enough sleep during the night, napping can counteract the all too familiar afternoon slump.
“Taking a short daytime sleep is also a good way to boost your cognitive functions such as memory and the ability to complete a complex task.
“Despite the benefits of napping, an afternoon sleep can have its downsides if you oversleep, potentially leaving you feeling groggy and disoriented.
“Snoozing for too long can affect your sleep schedule later on in the evening, affecting your night time sleep and possibly your energy levels the following day.
“So, if you’re going to nap – then make sure you do it right. A snooze of around 20-30 minutes should provide you with a handy energy boost, without the negative side effects.”
Silentnight is supporting this year’s World Sleep Day theme of ‘Sleep is essential for health’, by launching an online hub with all the need-to-know information: https://www.silentnight.co.uk/blog/healthy-sleep
