Health issues

Half of couples don’t want to share a bed with partner: Study

Jul 04, 2018

Nearly half of couples in the study admitted they wanted a sleep break from their partner. Source: Shutterstock

Getting the perfect night’s sleep isn’t always easy and it looks like sharing a bed with a partner could be one of the many factors preventing people from getting some decent shut-eye.

New research out of America has found 46 per cent of people who are in a relationship or are married want a sleep break-up from their partner. The research, conducted by bedding company Slumber Cloud and published in the New York Post, found as many as one in five people blamed their partner as the biggest thing interrupting their nightly sleep.

Half of the 2,000 participants said their partner snores too loudly, while 37 per cent said their restlessness was caused because they get too warm sleeping next to their lover. For those in colder climates, 32 per cent said they spent most of the night fighting over the covers, while 51 per cent said they were “thermally incompatible” with their lover. This basically means one person enjoys sleeping in warmer conditions, with the other prefers cooler temperatures — not ideal when you’re sharing a bed.

snoring keeping lady awake — One in five people blame their partner for their own lack of sleep. Source: Getty

Three in four people actually said they put their own sleep on hold so their partner could enjoy a better sleep and even admitted to not moving from an uncomfortable position in order not to wake their partner. For 57 per cent of participants, things get so bad they admit to sneaking out of bed in the middle of the night and sleeping on the sofa in order to get some rest. A further 22 per cent said they couldn’t cope with hair in their face throughout the night.

Relationships Australia CEO Elisabeth Shaw recently told Starts at 60 that couples choosing to sleep apart is actually a lot more common than people think. She noted health concerns, snoring, sleep apnea, different schedules or simply one person in the relationship needing more sleep as possible reasons why people sleep apart.

“It can happen ad hoc (giving it less meaning and less impact) or more permanently, say in the case of sleep apnea or snoring,” she explained.

lady sleeping on couch middle of night — Over half of people sneak off to the couch to get sleep during the night. Source: Pixabay

It’s also something celebrities and public figures have been open about in the past. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas have admitted to keeping physical distance in their relationship, noting they even have separate bathrooms and areas in the house.

Last December, Prince Charles and Camilla were claimed to have three separate bedrooms, one for her, one for him and one to share – although this wasn’t officially confirmed at the time.

Other studies have found staying in bed with someone who doesn’t allow you to get a proper sleep can have negative impacts on the relationship. In fact, The University of California, Berkeley, said poor sleep can make people more selfish, so much so they are too tired to be polite to their partners.

“Poor sleep may make us more selfish as we prioritise our own needs over our partner’s,” lead investigator Amie Gordon said. “You may have slept like a baby, but if your partner didn’t, you’ll probably both end up grouchy.”