title: Age and sex differences in bedroom habits and bedroom preferences.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of different bedroom habits/preferences, and to assess whether these habits/preferences differ with age and sex.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based Norwegian cross-sectional telephone survey with 1001 of 1599 randomly selected adults (63% response rate) was performed. The questions about habits and preferences had different response alternatives (yes/no; up to eight response alternatives). Mean age was 47.5 years, and split into four groups (18-29, 30-44, 45-59, 60+ years). Age and sex differences were explored with chi-square statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Electronic media use in bed after bedtime was more common in younger compared to older age groups, with no sex difference. Daily use was reported by 61.8% of participants aged 18-29 years, compared to 3.7% among participants of 60+ years. Reading in bed after bedtime was more common with increasing age, and more common among females compared to males. Females and older participants more often rated their bed as very good. The older the participants, the colder the reported bedroom temperature. During winter, 48.5% of participants aged 60+ years reported a bedroom temperature of ≤12 °C. Many participants (39.2%) reported having their bedroom window always open at night, with no sex difference, but an increase with increasing age. Blackout curtains were used by 63.3%, with a drop in use with increasing age. Most participants preferred lying on the side when trying to sleep. Fewer older compared to younger participants preferred lying on the stomach.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings may stimulate further studies exploring whether these habits/preferences may influence sleep and sleep disorders.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Competence Center for Sleep Disorders, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway; Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Norway. Electronic address: bjorn.bjorvatn@uib.no.
authors.forename: Bjørn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bjorvatn
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Competence Center for Sleep Disorders, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway; Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mrdalj
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Competence Center for Sleep Disorders, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway.
authors.forename: Ingvild W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Saxvig
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Competence Center for Sleep Disorders, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aasnæs
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Competence Center for Sleep Disorders, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway; Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Ståle
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pallesen
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Competence Center for Sleep Disorders, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway; Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Siri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Waage
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D012737:Sex Factors; D000070263:Sleep Hygiene; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bedroom temperature; Electronic media use; Mattress; Pillow; Preferred body position for sleep; Reading in bed