Here at OTTY, we’re self-confessed ‘morning people’… Even our new TV ad campaign showcases early birds skipping out of bed to start their day ahead!
However, not everyone is so lucky, so we decided to investigate the morning mishaps that can occur when people don’t get a good night’s sleep. Read on to find out more…
The Findings
Based on our survey findings, 4 in 5 people (80%) have done something stupid in the morning due to poor sleep quality the night before. The top three answers included walking into furniture (42%), putting clothes on inside out (41%), and even putting odd shoes on (16%).
Other examples included used the wrong toiletry, forgetting to put on glasses/contact lenses, forgetting to change out of pyjamas, pouring salt in tea/coffee instead of sugar, falling down the stairs, putting the TV remote in the fridge, amongst other mishaps.
Overall, women were more likely to suffer from morning mishaps than men. The gender split shows that while men’s exhaustion was more likely to manifest into clumsiness, women instead struggled to complete simple tasks – such as getting dressed – with poor sleeping patterns.
Also, according to the data, the younger you are the bigger the impact that poor sleeping habits has on you the next day. A massive 90% of 18-24-year olds admitted to doing something stupid the next morning in their fatigue, compared to just 69% of those aged 65+.
Looking at location splits across the UK, Manchester seemed to struggle the most with morning mishaps due to poor sleep, with 87% admitting to an awkward, embarrassing, or forgetful action the following day.
The top 5 cities most affected by sleep deprivation included:
- Manchester (86.9%)
- Glasgow (84.2%)
- Bristol (84%)
- London (83.9%)
- Leeds (83.5%)
At the other end of the scale, Newcastle and Sheffield were most likely to be unaffected in the morning even if poor sleeping habits the night before.
The top 5 cities least affected by sleep deprivation included:
- Newcastle and Sheffield (66.7%)
- Belfast (72.7%)
- Birmingham (72.9%)
- Norwich (74.4%)