Cupid May be Preparing a Sleeping Potion This Year as Most (87%) Valentines Say Getting a Quality Night's Sleep Helps Their Relationship

New York, NY - With Valentine's Day fast approaching, cupid may be preparing a sleeping potion for his arrows this year as most (87%) Americans in a relationship think that getting a quality night's sleep helps their relationship. In fact, more lovers say that good sleep (45%) is more important than good sex (40%) - but women (53%) are much more likely than men (38%) to say that good sleep is more important, and men (48%) are more likely than women (32%) to say that good sex is more important.

While one half (47%) say that the Valentine's gift they'd most like to receive is a romantic evening, two in ten (20%) would actually prefer a good night's sleep, greater than the proportion of amorous Americans who would prefer a card and flowers (18%), or chocolate (12%). This is not surprising considering that 58% of Americans in a relationship say they best connect with their partner in the evening and at night, as opposed to first thing in the morning (16%), in the afternoon (13%), or midday (10%).

Nearly one in three (30%) Americans in a relationship agree that their partner sometimes falls asleep when they are ready for romance, although one quarter (26%) agree that they stay up later than usual on Valentine's Day. But the later night than normal might not be a result of creating romance, as most 81% of those with children in the household say they involve their children in their Valentine's Day celebrations.

This coming Valentine's Day, most Americans in a relationship will do something different than the usual routine: 25% will go out for a romantic evening, while 19% will stay in for a romantic evening. Two in ten (16%) overall - 30% of those with kids - will celebrate with their kids, while 3% will celebrate with family and friends. Just one in three (35%) have nothing planned at all and believe it's just another day.

Some like to turn up the romance on Valentine's Day - two in ten (20%) have left a rose or rose petals on their partner's pillow or bed, and 35% say Valentine's Day is one of their favorites holidays - a similar proportion (21%) says they purchase Valentine's gifts for their partner because they feel like they have to so that they won't get in trouble. One in ten (9%) suggest that Valentine's Day is a stress on their relationship.

And while most (87%) say a quality night's sleep helps their relationship, nearly two in ten (16%) Americans in a relationship agree that that their partner prevents them from getting a good night's sleep, with the leading causes being snoring (35%), talking/nagging (9%), watching TV or using the computer in the bedroom (8%), having alternate working hours than they do (5%), insomnia (5%), being restless (4%), or waking them up for sex (2%). One in ten (13%) say that their partner has sleeping issues that affect their love life, and 11% indicate that they themselves have sleep issues that affect their love life.

But American couples are still surviving through the good times and the bad times, including the sleep difficulties, with communications (93%), spending quality time together (84%), romance (43%), being the top-three habits mentioned by most Americans for improving their relationship. Others believe that good money choices (34%), healthy diet and exercise (28%) and good sleep habits (13%) are the keys to improving their relationship.

Most couples say that the strongest connection they have with their partner is as their best friend (30%), through their parenting (17%), religious beliefs (15%) and their philosophy or world view (10%). But fewer say that their prowess in the bedroom (7%), hobbies (7%), finances (4%), and communication (2%) is where they excel, suggesting room for improvement for many in these areas.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted January 7-10, 2010, on behalf of sleepbetter.org. For the survey, a nationally representative sample of 737 randomly-selected adults in a relationship was interviewed by telephone via Ipsos' U.S. Telephone Express omnibus. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate within 1773.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire population of adults in the U.S. been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/gender composition reflects that of the actual U.S. population according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

For more information on this press release, please contact: Aaron Amic Vice President Ipsos Public Affairs 612-205-4733 [email protected]

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