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Age and sex differences in bedroom habits and bedroom preferences
Bjørn Bjorvatn1, Jelena Mrdalj2, Ingvild W Saxvig3
1Norwegian Competence Center for Sleep Disorders, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway; Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Norway.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of different bedroom habits/preferences, and to assess whether these habits/preferences differ with age and sex.
Methods:
A population-based Norwegian cross-sectional telephone survey with 1001 of 1599 randomly selected adults (63% response rate) was performed. The questions about habits and preferences had different response alternatives (yes/no; up to eight response alternatives). Mean age was 47.5 years, and split into four groups (18-29, 30-44, 45-59, 60+ years). Age and sex differences were explored with chi-square statistics.
Results:
Electronic media use in bed after bedtime was more common in younger compared to older age groups, with no sex difference. Daily use was reported by 61.8% of participants aged 18-29 years, compared to 3.7% among participants of 60+ years. Reading in bed after bedtime was more common with increasing age, and more common among females compared to males. Females and older participants more often rated their bed as very good. The older the participants, the colder the reported bedroom temperature. During winter, 48.5% of participants aged 60+ years reported a bedroom temperature of ≤12 °C. Many participants (39.2%) reported having their bedroom window always open at night, with no sex difference, but an increase with increasing age. Blackout curtains were used by 63.3%, with a drop in use with increasing age. Most participants preferred lying on the side when trying to sleep. Fewer older compared to younger participants preferred lying on the stomach.
Conclusions:
The findings may stimulate further studies exploring whether these habits/preferences may influence sleep and sleep disorders.