British people are becoming more and more sleep deprived - and it 's all down to bringing laptops and tablets into the bedroom . According to a new survey , bingeing on TV box sets is now our top 'lights on ' bedroom activity with 34 per cent delaying much-needed kip just to watch their favourite shows . As a nation our average bed time is 10.43pm , but we 're busy for nearly an hour ( 52 minutes ) before we actually go to sleep , according to new research . Binge-watching box sets is number one sleep-stealers with 34 per cent watching DVDs in bed . The survey of 1,000 adults , which excluded sex as an option , found that binge-watching DVDs or streamed programmes from the internet is now the number one sleep-stealer . Checking social media feeds was still a high second at 30 per cent , followed by writing emails or working ( 17 per cent ) , online shopping ( 11 per cent ) and reading at just four per cent . Guilty pleasures such as eating biscuits , having a cuppa away from the rest of the family and playing addictive games like Candy Crush also sneaked into the top answers in a poll by The Fine Bedding Company . Although 83 per cent questioned claimed to love sleep , and that it was more important to them than food ( 66 per cent ) , we 're actually getting less and less every year . According to the survey , the average amount of sleep is now six hours 28 minutes , compared to our grandparents ' generation who got a good eight hours every night . Although 56 per cent of us claim to be unsatisfied with the amount of sleep we have every night , but we ca n't seem to tear ourselves away from our favourite shows . Some respondents admitting that it was all too easy to press play again and miss out on beauty sleep . A minority will enjoy a snack in bed and a moment alone , while one per cent of us admit Candy Crush keeps them awake in bed when they should have turned their lights out . 1 . Internet TV/streaming/box sets 34 % . 2 . Checking Facebook/social media 31 % . 3 . Working/emails/accounts 17 % . 4 . Online shopping/browsing/magazines 11 % . 5 . Reading Kindle/books/mags 4 % . 6 . Drinking/eating/snacks/treats 1.2 % . 7 . Playing online games/gambling 1.2 % . It seems there is also a male/female divide when it comes to going to bed times , with the majority of men questioned saying they go to bed between 11pm and midnight , but most women were already snuggled up an hour earlier between 10 and 11pm . Sara Wadsworth of The Fine Bedding Company said : 'It seems we are becoming a nation of binge-watchers , unable to wait another week for the next episode . 'Perhaps it 's time to bring a bit of balance back into the bedroom and try some sleep-enhancing activities a few nights a week . Instead of switching on a screen ; try some gentle yoga stretches , listening to soothing music or even meditating . 'There are lots of apps available designed to enhance sleep and can easily be listened to in bed , putting that mobile phone to good use . ' What do you like to do in bed , apart from sleeping ( only clean answers please )
Watching top shows in bed costs us nearly an hour of sleep a night . Checking Facebook and social media comes second in new survey . New survey explored 1,000 people 's 'lights on ' bedroom activity .