Sharing your bed is the most overlooked adjustment of moving in with your partner.
The blanket hogging, sleep talking, the snoring, the alarm snoozing, or tossing and turning throughout the night, can get on your nerves. You may experience any of these, or if you’re super lucky, all of these.
But before you race to the couch or the guest room every night trying to get a good night’s sleep, we’ve got some tips that will save the day (or the night?). Read these with your partner and pick the one that works best for both of you.
7 Tips to Sleep Comfortably With Your Partner
1. Invest in an Anti-snoring Device
Admitting and discussing the snoring problem is a good starting point. Once you’ve agreed that you or your partner have a snoring problem, visit your doctor and get expert advice. Often, snoring can be a symptom of more significant problems like obstructive sleep apnea, and getting advice from a medical professional can help address the problem early on.
In addition to the risk of a health issue going undetected, snoring also affects your partner, especially if they’re light sleepers. They could end up sleep-deprived, causing them to experience headaches, irritability, reduced productivity, and other related issues. And you certainly don’t want that, do you?
While you’re working on fixing the problem, your partner can try using earplugs or a white noise machine and get their ZZZs. Or you can invest in devices like Smart Nora to bring you some much-needed instant relief.
Smart Nora turns any pillow into an anti-snore pillow, allowing both parties to rest well. It detects the sounds of snoring and adjusts your pillow by gently and silently inflating and deflating it. This opens your airways, allowing normal breathing. This scientifically validated device improves your sleep quality.
2. Be Mindful of Each Other’s Sleep Schedules
There are many couples with unaligned schedules. For instance, think about a couple where the husband works at a corporate office and the wife is a pilot — now think about their sleep schedule. See what we mean?
If you’ve got a schedule that doesn’t match with your partner’s, that could spell trouble for your sleep cycle.
It’s a tricky situation to be in. But you need to stick to your schedule. Get some shut-eye so that you can be energetic the next day. However, you should also be mindful of your partner’s schedule and avoid disrupting their sleep. Be careful not to wake up your partner as you enter or leave the bed.
3. Use Separate Blankets and Get a Bigger Bed
Do you go to bed with a blanket split 50-50 but find yourself shivering in the middle of the night? Here’s a no-brainer: use separate blankets.
While it sounds like a simple solution, there are several other benefits to using a separate blanket. This allows you and your partner to choose a cover they find comfy. For instance, some people prefer a thick blanket, while some prefer a lighter sheet just to get cozy.
Okay, so you’ve got yourself under a blanket. But what if you’re left with no space on the bed? The easy way out? Get yourself a king-sized bed. This gives you the room to sleep comfortably.
4. Find a Mutually Comfortable Room Temperature
Each one of us has our sweet spot when it comes to setting the AC’s or the thermostat’s temperature. Ideally, 65°F or 18°C is a comfortable room temperature to sleep.
But what if your partner likes the temperature a few notches above or below your sweet spot?
Now, you can’t really get to sleep when you’re too hot. So here’s what you can do: set the AC to a lower temperature and have your partner get under an extra layer or covers. Mutually decide on a thermostat/AC temperature that’s comfortable.
5. Avoid Snoozing
Hitting the snooze button 10 times before waking up can become a bad habit. But if you’re sharing the bed with your partner, it’s a no-go. When your alarm rings a dozen times, you’ll most likely end up disturbing your partner.
Instead, you should get into the habit of getting up right away when the alarm rings. Remember, your partner might not be able to go back to sleep as easily as you after getting distracted from an alarm.
6. Use a Motion-Isolated Mattress
Perhaps, this is the most common problem when you share a bed. You are disturbed every time your partner changes sides or wakes up to use the washroom. Your partner’s movement can wake you up even when you’re in a deep sleep.
You can remedy this with a motion-isolated mattress. Purchase a mattress that’s equal parts firm and comfortable. This makes sure you sleep peacefully and never wake up with a tired, achy back. Also, try using a leg pillow for additional comfort.
7. Avoid Screen Exposure in Bed
Keep your devices out of bed. Refrain from scrolling through social media as a pre-bed pass time. And no, “night mode” doesn’t make much of a difference. The waves emitted from devices keep your brain awake. As long as you keep scrolling, you’re unlikely to feel sleepy.
Instead, switch to reading a book or talking to your partner. Who doesn’t like some pre-bed pillow talk? Switching to a wholesome pre-bed routine is far more healthy than scrolling mindlessly through social media.
Your Sleeping Woes, Resolved
Hopefully, one of these tips might help you sleep better and share the bed with your partner. If none of them help, don’t blame each other. Instead, be empathetic and understanding to get to the root of the issue and try out different solutions.
But if snoring is the problem, you can just use Smart Nora. Unlike other uncomfortable snoring solutions, it allows you to use your own comfy pillow. What’s cooler? Smart Nora is portable, so you can also carry it around while traveling!
