Surprisingly, sleeping with your partner wasn’t always the norm, especially among the wealthy. In the old days, married couples were fans of sleeping solo — keeping separate rooms, and visiting one another only when the mood struck.
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Sharing your bed with your significant other has its perks: warmth, cuddling, and intimacy. But there is also something to be said for having the bed all to yourself.
Don’t take my word for it; researchers suggest that sleeping in a bed with someone else can take a toll on your health, especially if it affects your ability to get to sleep and stay asleep.
Getting a good night’s sleep makes you feel better, but its importance goes way beyond just boosting your mood or banishing under-eye circles. Adequate sleep is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle and can benefit your heart, weight, mind, and more.
Millions of Americans don’t get enough sleep, but there are ways you can get better sleep with a few simple tricks, such as going au naturel. But one of the best solutions for getting a good night’s sleep just might be sleeping solo!
Why do people share beds?
Surprisingly, sleeping with your partner wasn’t always the norm, especially among the wealthy. In the old days, married couples kept separate rooms, and visited one another only when the mood struck.
Shared rooms and beds became more popular as people, mainly more impoverished people, moved to cities where space was limited. Since space was sparse, couples simply shared a room and a bed.
Benefits of having your own sleeping space
1. You have room to stretch
If your partner is a bed hog, this can become a serious problem, especially if you’re one also. Sleeping stretched out is comfortable, and when you’re by yourself, you can stretch all over the place! And better comfort means a better night’s sleep.
2. You get all the covers
Sleeping alone means you never have to compete for blankets. There’s no one tugging them away from you in the night or throwing them on you because they’re too hot.
3. You’re in charge of the temperature
If you like it cold, crank up the A/C, if you want it hot, turn up the heat. Having a room to yourself means that you can control exactly how warm or cool it is, whether to open or close the windows or if you’d like a fan or not.
4. Your sleep cycle isn’t disturbed
Sharing a bed can be hard if you and your partner have different sleeping and waking schedules. Trying to sneak in or out of bed without waking your partner isn’t easy if one is a light sleeper. Sleeping on a cycle that doesn’t work for you can make you feel the effects of poor sleep.
5. You’ll wake up on your terms
Just like you’ll be sleeping on your terms, you’ll also be getting up the way you like too. Maybe you’re a snooze button hitter, or like to turn on the TV and listen to the news before actually getting out of bed. You can do all of this without disturbing anyone else, and you won’t be bothered by someone else’s morning routine.
6. No annoying noises
Sleeping in the same room as someone else isn’t always comforting. If your partner snores, flops around, or (worse) babbles in their sleep, you might find that getting a good night’s rest is, well, impossible. On the other hand, Sleeping by yourself means there is no one to disturb you and no one for you to annoy.
7. You control the atmosphere
Maybe you like white-noise or music to help get you to sleep, and your partner finds this annoying. Perhaps you prefer the room pitch black but your partner, having read too many Stephen King novels needs some light. Having a room to yourself means you don’t need to make any compromises. You can create an atmosphere that’s entirely comfortable for you, and when you like your space, you’ll sleep better in it.
8. You’ll sleep more
Sleeping solo usually means you’ll get more sleep. And sleeping more, for many people, is something they need. Because you’re comfortable regarding position, atmosphere, and temperature, you’ll sleep more soundly and wake up refreshed. – Char Brown
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