The Perils of Sharing a Bed

Love… When it starts it is all about romance. You meet someone special, you enjoy getting to know them, and before long you spend hours in bed talking before falling asleep. But before too long, the cracks start to appear in the bliss and your yearning for a good night’s sleep becomes overwhelming.

And so it begins. The bed becomes a battleground and the mattress, the scene for turf wars. Is it all really worth it?

Here are some of the personalities you may be sleeping with (or perhaps we are talking about you!)

The Sheet/Blanket Hog

We’ve all been there. You’ve just crawled into bed. You toss and turn a few times to find a comfortable spot and just when you start to nod off, bam! You suddenly find yourself exposed as you flap about in an effort to cover yourself again. The sheet thief has struck again…You know that it’s more than likely to happen over and over again throughout the night as the battle of sheet supremacy reigns on.

Suggested remedy: Buy your sheets and blankets a size bigger than the mattress.

The Tech Head

Do you often find yourself trying to sleep in the light of your partner’s phone or tablet? Are you familiar with the “I’m not tired yet” and “I’ll only be a few more minutes.” All the while you’re kept awake for hours by the sound of them laughing at fainting goats on Youtube. Status update…annoying!

Suggested remedy: Move all chargers for devices into another room. That way, playtime will only last as long as their battery does.

The Mattress Picnic Lover

You’ve shared a lovely dinner and sipped tea together while watching your favourite television show. But eating and drinking are activities not suited for the bedroom. Not only are the crunching, munching and slurping sounds irritating, but then there’s the food crumbs to wrestle with under the sheets for hours. They say your bed should be used for two things. Eating is not one of them.

Suggested remedy: Place a picnic blanket on the floor and point at it when your partner enters the room with an armful of food. The picnic idea will soon lose its appeal.

The Follower

You’ve had a hard day at work. You’re tired. You give your other half a goodnight kiss, and make your getaway to the bedroom, only for them to follow you. This seems like a nice gesture at first, until the constant chatter, movement and touching makes you wonder why you even bothered trying to escape in the first place.

Suggested remedy: Buy a lock for the bedroom door. That should give them the hint.

The Snorer

Snoring. It’s a medical condition that can lead to sleep disorders and apnea. Not much fun. But if you are the snorer, spare a thought for your partner who is suffering from constant noise and irritation. There are many techniques, gadgets and therapies to help with your breathing, so make an effort to find one that works for you. Otherwise, expect your other half to be annoyed. Every. Single. Night.

Suggested remedy: Convince your snorer to sleep in another room. Problem solved!

The Tosser and Turner

These characters are always on the move. They turn, roll and wave their limbs all night long making it impossible for you to sleep for any length of time.

Suggested remedy: Buy the biggest mattress you can. The more room between you and them, the less likely their constant movement will wake you. Alternatively, pocket spring mattresses are renowned for minimised partner disturbance (speak to our friendly team of mattress experts for more info!)

With all these hazards and quirky behaviours, is it really worth sharing the bed with someone else?Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have discovered sleeping next to another human helps to lower our stress hormones, mainly due to the fact that it makes us feel secure, loved and cared for. It has also been proven to reduce the level of cytokines, which are small proteins that send messages to our cells, helping to reduce inflammation that trigger depression, autoimmune disorders and heart disease.

So before you move into the bedroom down the hall, remind yourself that the person sleeping next you may just be helping you to live longer!

As always, Sleep Healthy!