Cold winters make it tougher for Britons to get out of bed,study claims

Scottish people are quickest to wake up

One in five Britons are so cosy, they have allegedly pulled a sickie to have a duvet day instead ((George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images))

The winter chill will send Britons diving back under their covers, causing the average person to spend an extra 24 hours in bed over the winter months.

A new survey claims that Britons will need an additional 16 minutes in bed each morning during winter before they feel ready to face the cold.

Of those surveyed who are currently employed, 38 per cent said they were more likely to be late for work over winter months because they found it harder to get up in the morning.

As a result, the average worker will be late for work seven times in the course of an average winter because they overslept.

And one in five have been so cosy they have pulled a sickie to have a duvet day instead.

A spokesperson for Andrews Heat for Hire, which commissioned the study, said: “Darker, colder mornings can make waking up in winter months more challenging than any other time of the year.

“And while an additional quarter of an hour snoozing each day doesn’t seem like a big sacrifice, over the course of the winter we lose an entire day to those few extra minutes in bed.”

On a regional level, the study found Scottish people are the quickest to get up and face the day when the weather turns, spending an additional 14 minutes in bed, while those living in Yorkshire are fondest of their covers, resisting the cold until they’ve had 17 extra minutes dozing.

One in two Britons find it more challenging to get out of bed in winter more than any other time of year, and a third think they are more likely to hit the snooze button when the mornings are dark and cold.

Furthermore, seven in 10 said a few more minutes with their duvet is too tempting when the weather outside looks chilly.

Three in five Britons said it becomes tougher to get up following special efforts to make their beds cosy to the highest degree

Of these, 59 per cent will buy a thicker duvet when the weather begins to turn, and 44 per cent will put an extra blanket on the bed to keep the cold away.

More than seven in 10 have the foresight to set their heating to come on before they wake up so their home is warm when they wake, clicking on 45 minutes before they stir.

One in five Britons have been so attached to their bedspread, they have been late for a meet-up with friends or loved ones.

For those who enjoy the comfort of their beds more than their friends, they will also cancel six gatherings over a typical winter just so they can stay warm in bed.

Nearly one in two Britons are unable to shake their hibernation instincts when the temperature plummets and spend more time in bed during the winter than any other time of year.

Three in 10 find themselves going to bed earlier as the evenings draw in sooner, and one in eight set their morning alarms later than they usually would to grab a few extra minutes before feeling the chill.

SWNS