by If you’ve ever set up your Google Alerts to tell you about “mattresses” “sleep” or “beds,” you’ve likely seen mountains of useless mattress reviews and articles saying the same things about sleeping well, longer and better.
But every once in a while, there’s interesting consumer information that retailers can use to educate customers on the intricacies of sleep and possibly make more sales in the process.
“The Sleep Doctor,” Dr. Michael Breus, released a survey which found that people who hog the covers sleep an average of six more minutes each night than their bed mates.
The solution he offers is the Scandinavian Sleep Method, where partners sleep in the same bed together, but don’t share one individual comforter or duvet.
Some key findings from the survey include:
- Adults who use separate blankets report sleeping four minutes more each night than those who share blankets
- 35.4% of respondents say they sleep with a cover hog
- 41.8% of respondents have tried a “sleep divorce,” or sleeping in a different bed or room from their partner
- 31.8% of people say they prefer a different room temperature when sleeping, which is what causes “cover hogging”
“People will feel colder as the night goes on, and that is largely why they grab the covers to create more warmth,” Dr. Breus says. “Cover hogs are likely to strike between 10:30 pm and 2:30 am because of the regulation of body temperature. Sleeping with socks on or wearing flannel pajamas to bed can help stay warmer under shared covers and limit cover hogging.”
Savvy retailers can turn this information into sales. If a customer comes in with the problem of their sleep partner being a cover hog, use this information to educate them. Maybe even sell two blankets while you’re at it.
You can view the full survey here.
