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People love reading in bed

According to a recent Barnes & Noble national survey of adult readers in United States, reading in bed is what 64% do on a regular basis, so it’s not surprising that the number-one request from eInk customers is the ability to read in the dark to avoid bothering a significant other.

For people who love to read, eInk’s paper-like readability, no-glare screen and long battery life have made it a favourite and nearly perfect device choice, with one exception: reading in bed or other low-light environments.

Is it rude to bring your computer or eReader to bed?

In our last blog-post we talk about GlowLight technology, an innovative lighting solution optimized for low-light conditions, never before seen on an eInk display and not available on any Kindle. This technology is found in the new Nook Simple Touch, the perfect peacekeeper for the half of survey respondents who would read more in bed if it didn’t interfere with their partners’ sleep.

A sketch comedy:

Bedtime reading debate

For as long as there have been beds, and books, there’s been a common clash between couples at bedtime: Lights on, to read? Or off, to sleep? “The Barnes & Noble Nook bedtime reading debate,” a survey conducted last month, polled 1,358 adult readers across the United States about their reading habits, and shed new light on this age-old challenge. Here are the results:

1. Bed heads: Approximately two-thirds (64%) of people polled read in bed, and nearly a quarter read in bed between five and seven days a week.
People who own Readers are among the most likely to read in bed (72%) and are more likely to read in bed on a weekly basis than tablet owners (61% vs. 54%).

2. The gender divide: While reading in bed is a top pick for both genders, there’s a distinct divide when it comes to second place: women are likelier than men to read outdoors (40% vs. 25%), and men more frequently read in the bathroom (41% vs. 26% for women).

3. The light/dark debate: 77 percent of survey respondents say they or their partner requires light for their bedtime reading, although nearly 90% say their ideal sleep environment is completely dark.
Men are far more likely than women to report their significant other disrupts their sleep by using a light to read in bed.

4. Keeping peace: 50% of respondents say either they or their partner would read more in bed if it didn’t affect the other person’s sleep.

5. Sleepus interruptus: A partner using a light to read in bed was deemed most disruptive by respondents – even more than a frisky partner’s “midnight moves.”
31% of respondents noted that a partner’s use of a light to read in bed interfered with their sleep or prevented them from falling asleep, while 20% noted that romantic overtures did the same.

6. Perturbed partners: Nearly half (42%) of survey respondents have gone to sleep annoyed because their significant other was reading with a light on.

7. Night flight, not fight: 42% of people surveyed say they or their partner has physically relocated to another room to read to not disturb the partner who wanted to sleep, as most also agreed this was the best way to “keep the peace.”
The “lights-on” breach of bediquette leads many to throw in the towel when it comes to sleep with flipping on the TV, leaving the room to read or staying up to read themselves the most frequent alternatives.