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Sleep with your smartphone in hand? You're not alone

A survey on attachment to mobile devices shows a certain number of people admit to falling asleep with their smartphones in their hands.

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
2 min read

Sleeping smartphone
Sleep tight, sweet smartphone. Amanda Kooser/CNET

I confess. My smartphone sits next to my bed on a nightstand while I slumber. I set it to do-not-disturb mode during sleeping hours, but then it comes to life as my alarm clock every morning.

Turns out, I'm completely normal. A Bank of America Trends in Consumer Mobility Report released Monday shows that American adults can't tear themselves away from their mobile devices, even when fast asleep.

When it comes to bedtime, 71 percent of survey respondents say they sleep with or next to their smartphones. That breaks down to 55 percent who sleep with it on the nightstand, 13 percent who sleep with it on the bed and 3 percent who say they sleep with it in their hands, unable to resist the physical contact.

While that 3 percent of handsy smartphone sleepers sounds like a small amount, 23 percent of those surveyed admitted to having fallen asleep with a smartphone in hand at least once. That number jumps up to 44 percent when looking at people ages 18 to 24.

The attachment doesn't end there. Instead of jonesing for a cup of joe in the morning, 35 percent of respondents say smartphones are the most important things on their minds upon first waking. That leaves just 17 percent with coffee as the top priority. It also means someone should invent a combined bedside smartphone dock and coffee maker.

The survey group consisted of 1,000 US adults age 18 and over with a smartphone and a checking or savings account with a financial institution. Market research company Braun Research conducted the poll by phone, and an additional 300 adults were surveyed in large markets, including California, New York and Texas.

The survey also investigated how often respondents check their phones (a lot), how often they use mobile banking apps and whether they could survive a day without a smartphone (44 percent say they couldn't).

Tell us in the comments just how close you and your smartphone are at night. Is it all snuggles and cuddles, or is it banished to another room?