How Many Adults Still Sleep With Stuffies? Way More Than You Think

The act of trying to fall asleep can be a serious struggle. Keeping a consistent sleep routine is one way to help ease your body into a restful sleep. That might include no screen time before bed, a white noise machine, or the use of guided meditation. But according to a new study, a surprising number of adults use one sleep aid that has deep roots in their childhood. That’s right, a lot of adults are still sleeping with stuffed animals.

A new survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Serta Simmons Bedding asked 2,000 adults living in the U.S. with a partner some questions about their sleep habits. According to the data, 52% of Americans admitted to growing up with a stuffed animal or a security blanket. No surprises there! But the survey also found that of the 52% of adults who said they grew up with a stuffie, 77% of them still sleep with that same stuffie or blanket.

The survey found some more interesting takeaways, which could be useful information for couples who struggle to sleep peacefully in the same bed. It turns out a lot of us have similar frustrations and struggles when trying to sleep with someone else in the bed — and our blanket is one of them.

“Stealing the covers is one of the top offenders for couples,” the survey says. “Those surveyed shared that their biggest disruptor is when their partner steals the covers (35%), wakes them up tossing and turning (35%), sleeps with the television on (28%), snores (28%), or sleeps with the lights on (27%).”

The survey found that, on average, a person who co-sleeps with a partner gets fewer than four good nights of sleep each week. The sleep issues are so prevalent that a large portion of people polled also said they would be willing to do whatever it took to get a better night’s sleep — including sleeping alone.

“Nearly half of the respondents (49%) shared they would be willing to try sleeping in a separate bed as a way to get better rest,” the survey found.

It’s not all bad, though. Some co-sleeping couples are finding great ways to build quality sleep routines that help them connect with their partner and drift off to a peaceful sleep. The two most significant ways people achieve this are by spending quality time together before bed and always maintaining the same side of the bed.

“Despite a willingness to sleep in separate beds, more than two in five people (42%) prefer going to sleep at the same time as their partner,” the survey found, “and once couples are ready to go to sleep, 53% of those surveyed prefer to cuddle their partner.”

Forty percent of those surveyed said they always stick to sleeping on their side of the bed, even if their partner isn’t in the bed with them. Pointing further to how important sleeping on their typical side of the bed is for many, the survey noted that 45% admitted that even when they’re traveling, they stay on their side of the bed.

To read the full survey results, visit Serta Simmons Bedding.