Sleeping together is considered part of a healthy relationship, although it wasn’t always that way. Between the 1850s and 1950s, it was considered normal for couples to sleep separately. Now, while it might be considered “normal” to sleep in the same bed, it’s not always the healthiest choice.

According to a recent article in The Washington Post, sleep incompatibility can adversely affect sleep, which in turn leads to irritability and can cause big issues within a marriage.

Sleeping separately isn’t always a logical or romantic suggestion, so here are five ways to improve your sleep, without moving out of your marital bed:

1.     Get a bigger bed rather than sleeping separately

Moving from a queen-sized bed to a king-sized bed can give both people enough space to stretch out without touching each other. After all, touching each other accidentally during the night can wake either person up.

If you find you often have discussions about stealing covers or heat issues, a king-sized bed is big enough for both people to have their own full-sized covers, or for one person to sleep with covers while the other can shrug them off to the middle of the bed.

The downside of a bigger bed is the expense – of the bed, the sheets, pillows, and all. On the flip side, you could save your marriage!

2.   Upgrade your mattress

One of the most common irritants is one person tossing and turning while the other needs stillness in order to sleep. A bigger bed could help, but so could a mattress that better fits your needs.

Almost every major mattress manufacturer offers a mattress that will fit the needs of a restless sleeper and a still sleeper in one mattress. Again, the upgrade will cost a fair bit, but it could be less than the costs that add up for extremely tired people: loss of social life, inability to focus at work… (add in link to blog)

3.   Work on aligning your schedules

Often, couples have different sleep schedules. One may prefer to go to bed early and wake up early, while the other is a night owl. By aligning your schedules you are avoiding the inevitable wake-up that happens when one creeps through the dark bedroom, hits their shins on the bed or stands on a piece of lego, or trips over the cat.

By starting your wind down earlier, you might be able to easily slip into a new routine that not only stops any fights but also strengthens your love life!

And if that doesn’t work…

4.  Create a night-time routine or wake up routine space

We all have a pre-bed or wake-up routine. Even those of us that haven’t noticed it! Instead of undressing beside the bed before dropping in beside your sleeping partner, why not have a space designated for getting ready for bed that will not bother your partner?

Alternatively, if you are an early riser, put your clothes in a space where you can safely dress without waking your partner. Does your walking into the living area also wake the dog or the baby? Take all of these things into consideration when making your plan.

5.  Get silent alarms

The old-fashioned alarm clock is no longer a necessity, but many people still rely on phones or music to wake them up. Instead of using a device that wakes up everyone in the room, why not try a silent alarm like that offered by many watches?

The Fitbit or Apple watch can be costly, but they are not the only options on the market. Check out this review of vibrating watches to see which might suit you best: https://www.watchresearcher.com/best-vibrating-alarm-watches/

Sleeping separately doesn’t have to be the answer. Try out the ideas we’ve listed here! If you are finding that you’re not sleeping well together because of snoring or tossing and turning, you may need a sleep study. We can help with that! Click through to get in touch today: https://advancedhomecareonline.com/sleep-studies/