According to a recent study, men spend around 7 hours a year hiding in bathrooms just to get some “peace and quiet”.

According to a recent study, men spend around 7 hours a year hiding in bathrooms just to get some “peace and quiet”.

A third of British blokes admit to HIDING in their bathrooms to get some peace and quiet, according to a study.

Researchers who polled 1,000 men found they spend a total of seven hours a year in the bathroom – just for brief respite.

In addition to getting some quiet time, they also escape to the toilet when their other half is ‘nagging’ them – or to avoid the kids.

Chore avoidance and the chance to look at their mobile phone undisturbed are also key reasons for nipping off to the bathroom

Commissioned by bathroom experts, Pebble Grey, the research also found one in 10 visits to the bathroom are interrupted on average – that’s 171 during the course of a typical year.

A spokesman said: “We all need a little bit of time to ourselves – to take stock or switch off completely.

“We all need a little bit of time to ourselves — to take stock or switch off completely,” said Helena Linsky, the owner and director of Pebble Grey. “And the bathroom appears to be the go-to place for those moments.

The findings themselves also revealed that 25 percent of men “don’t know how they’d cope” with the stress of home without the bathroom trips, and 23 percent called the bathroom their “safe place.”

“It’s very much a sanctuary, somewhere we can cut ourselves off from the outside world, albeit just temporarily,” Linsky added of the space.

One-third of the men surveyed admitted to using the bathroom as a getaway place for “quiet time” and, as the study says, “when their other half is ‘nagging’ them and to avoid the children.”

“As the results suggest, peace and quiet are considered sacred and clearly men take the opportunity to get this where they can — often in the bathroom,” Linsky added.

Despite the surveyed men’s time spent in the bathroom, Pebble Grey reports that women (of whom 1,000 were also polled, with 20 percent reporting that they also use the bathroom as an escape) are overwhelmingly (72 percent) the ones who keep it clean on a regular basis.

What’s more, 10 percent of households have adopted a “do not disturb” regulation in regards to bathroom time — but 85 percent of those rule-setters still get interrupted during it.

“Apparently some things aren’t sacred anymore — including being left alone to use the [bathroom],” Linsky said. “So it’s no wonder so many households have introduced rules to prevent disturbances.”

She added, “Sadly, though, it seems few people adhere to this rule or respect the hallowed ground that is the bathroom.”