: A sleep study commissioned by Lightwave, the UK’s only fully integrated smart home automation company, revealed 79% of Brits are frustrated that they cannot fall asleep more quickly. With the average Brit taking 33.5 minutes to get to sleep and over a third (36%) reporting they find it harder to fall asleep than wake up in the morning, 54% of Brits are self-medicating with books to help them nod off.
14% of respondents said they pick up Harry Potter to help them drift off, putting it top of the bedtime books chart. The list of top 10 bedtime books reveals fantasy novels and classics are the preferred genres for bedtime reading, with 45% saying they want a book that is calming and helps them to relax and 32% saying they want a book that doesn’t challenge them.
Somewhat bucking the trend for fantasy and classics is 50 Shades of Grey in the eighth spot, suggesting it’s more of a turn-off than a turn-on for drowsy Brits.
Top 10 bedtime books:
- Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
- The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
- The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- 50 Shades of Grey by E. L. James
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
