Sleep Differences Amongst Couples

Since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, let’s talk sleep and your relationship.

If you and your partner share a sleeping space, then you may already know that some of your sleeping habits and preferences may differ. While sharing a bed with the love of your life may sound romantic, many couples have opposing sleep habits and preferences and have to learn to compromise and adjust to sleeping together, which is completely normal!

Here are a few “sleep differences” that many couples go through:

Different preferences for bedtimes

Everyone has their own bedtime preferences, and this can be dependent on many factors, including work, family responsibilities and more. In many relationships, one partner may be a night owl while the other is an early riser. While going to bed at the same time may sound nice, it doesn’t always work for everyone. If you and your partner don’t go to bed at the same time, make sure you respect each other’s sleep patterns, which includes avoiding the use of bright lights in the bedroom if the other partner is sleeping and using earplug so movement doesn’t wake the other partner.

Movement

Many people move around frequently in their sleep, which can be very disturbing to their partner. Practicing relaxation techniques before bed can be helpful and limit movement. You may also want to consider investing in a mattress that minimizes motion transfer.

The sleeping environment

Some of these factors can include the temperature of the bedroom, the number of blankets on the bed and any noise in the room (whether from a sound machine, music or the TV). These may be areas where you and your partner will have to have a discussion and make some compromises. Some of these may include sleeping with separate blankets, using earplugs to block out unwanted noise, taking the TV out of the bedroom and compromising on the room temperature.

Snoring

Snoring can often be very bothersome to the other partner, but there are ways to alleviate this. Oftentimes, snoring can be alleviated from maintaining healthy diet and exercise habits, or sleeping on their side but other times, medical intervention may be required. If you or your partner snore frequently, make sure you speak to your doctor to see if the snoring is due to a medical issue that may require treatment.