How much sleep do YOU get on holiday?
Posted by Sue Anderson, 29th Apr 2013
Some people will tell you that holidays are about getting as much rest as possible. Others will tell you that holidays are about making the most of your time away and that resting is for boring people. We think there needs to be a healthy mix of rest and play on holiday.
We wanted to find out what people's attitudes towards resting on holiday were, so we carried out a poll of 1,572 UK adults and asked them all about their sleeping habits on holiday. Everyone we spoke to had been on holiday abroad in the past 12 months.
When asked, 'How much sleep, per night, would you estimate that you had on your last holiday abroad?' the average answer stated by respondents was '5.1 hours'. That's almost 3 hours less than the recommended 8 hours kip per night!
Anyone that told us they had 6 or less hours sleep per night whilst on holiday was asked why they hadn't got the full 8 hours, to which the answers were as follows:
Get the most from the holiday - 28%
Up early to get sun lounger/space on beach - 22%
To take advantage of night life - 17%
Too hot to sleep - 12%
Noise disruption at accommodation - 7%
Narrowly missing out on the most popular answers stated as reasons for lack of sleep was 'to have time together once kids were asleep', with 4% of respondents agreeing. Good idea parents!
However, when we asked the holidaymakers if they tended to nap during the day, whether that was in their accommodation or whilst sunbathing, for example, more than half, 57%, of those taking part said that they did have a cheeky daytime snooze. When these respondents were asked if they normally napped whilst at home in the UK, 98% said 'no'.
We think the key to getting the rest and play balance right on holiday is to mix slow-paced days by the pool with lively evenings or busy days exploring the resort with low key evenings spent at your accommodation. As long as you get some rest on holiday, you'll go home feeling like a new person!
We wanted to find out what people's attitudes towards resting on holiday were, so we carried out a poll of 1,572 UK adults and asked them all about their sleeping habits on holiday. Everyone we spoke to had been on holiday abroad in the past 12 months.
Average holidaymaker gets 5.1 hours sleep per night whilst away
When asked, 'How much sleep, per night, would you estimate that you had on your last holiday abroad?' the average answer stated by respondents was '5.1 hours'. That's almost 3 hours less than the recommended 8 hours kip per night!
Anyone that told us they had 6 or less hours sleep per night whilst on holiday was asked why they hadn't got the full 8 hours, to which the answers were as follows:
Get the most from the holiday - 28%
Up early to get sun lounger/space on beach - 22%
To take advantage of night life - 17%
Too hot to sleep - 12%
Noise disruption at accommodation - 7%
Narrowly missing out on the most popular answers stated as reasons for lack of sleep was 'to have time together once kids were asleep', with 4% of respondents agreeing. Good idea parents!
More than half nap during the day on holiday
However, when we asked the holidaymakers if they tended to nap during the day, whether that was in their accommodation or whilst sunbathing, for example, more than half, 57%, of those taking part said that they did have a cheeky daytime snooze. When these respondents were asked if they normally napped whilst at home in the UK, 98% said 'no'.
We think the key to getting the rest and play balance right on holiday is to mix slow-paced days by the pool with lively evenings or busy days exploring the resort with low key evenings spent at your accommodation. As long as you get some rest on holiday, you'll go home feeling like a new person!
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