Are gadgets driving couples apart?

Text life taking over from sex life

7 March 2008 17:16 GMT / By Katie Scott

According to a new survey, Brits are choosing their gadgets over their loved ones.

As part of The Great British Bedtime survey, conducted online by tickbox.net, 1408 people were asked about their sleeping habits between 27 February and 3 March 2008.

The survey, run by The Sleep Council, found that our obsession with gadgets such as BlackBerrys, mobile phones, games consoles and laptops, is forcing millions of couples to regularly sleep apart.

It revealed that 40% of people go to bed at a different time to their partner because they are still playing with their toys and 8 out of 10 have admitted to using computers or other gadgets at bedtime.

Some 22% now rely on their Blackberrys and mobile phones for their alarm call, 43% watch television in bed and 26% make phone calls or send/receive texts messages.

Indeed - it has almost become the norm with many sending and receiving emails and checking social networking sites, such as Facebook, in bed before snuggling down.

According to the Sleep Council, our bedrooms have become "communications hubs" instead of a place for sleep.

"Busy night-time routines are driving couples' bedtimes and even their bedrooms apart", said Jessica Alexander of The Sleep Council.

And this obsession with keeping on top of things - either answering emails or checking our Facebook profile pages - means that we Brits are going to bed later and later.

According to the survey, 40% of the respondants were in bed between 10pm and 11pm on a workday, while only one in eight hit the sack by about 9pm.

And, unsurprisingly, we're all tired as a result.

Of the respondants aged between 25- and 3- year- old, 56% described themselves as usually very tired or shattered when they go to bed.

Of course the 3 hours and 16 pints in the pub after work has nothing to do with this.

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