Do you sleep with a teddy bear?

Thirty-five per cent of British adults surveyed said they sleep with a teddy bear. (iStockphoto)A new survey suggests at least a third of adult Britons still sleep with a teddy bear on a regular basis.

U.K. hotel chain Travelodge surveyed 6,000 British adults, of which 35 per cent admitted to snuggling down with a teddy at night. Respondents said they found cuddling with a bear to be comforting and helped them "to de-stress after a hard day - which aids sleep."

Travelodge conducted the survey after reuniting more than 75,000 teddy bears left in hotel rooms with their owners over the last 12 months.

Spokesman Shakila Ahmed told the Telegraph that adults, as well as children, claim the lost bears. "We have had a large number of frantic businessmen and women call us regarding their forgotten teddy bear," he said.

The study also found that 52 per cent of British adults still have a teddy bear from their childhood, and that the average teddy bear is 27 years old.

Twenty-five per cent of men surveyed said they take their teddy bears with them regularly on business trips.

Cuddling with a teddy bear "evokes a sense of peace, security and comfort," according to psychologist Corrine Sweet. "It's not surprising, then, that taking a cuddly bear on a business trip is so popular, even among men."

Do you sleep with a teddy bear, security blanket or other personal item? Have you ever left a personal item at a hotel, and if so were you able to reclaim it? Share your stories in the comments section below.


(This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.)