Is there a reason some couples end up sleeping in separate beds? When we see couples who prefer individual sleep spaces, it equates immediately in our minds to either old age or a problem in the relationship – a ‘sleep divorce’ as it’s known.
But what if there are real reasons, such as a partner who gets too hot in bed, that sees us seeking our own bed in the middle of the night. How do you get a good night’s sleep as a couple? We’ve highlighted some of the problems alongside tips for couples with sleeping issues.
Space
In New Zealand, a recent Sleepyhead sleep study found that around 57% of Kiwis prefer to sleep in a queen size bed. A couple doesn’t have a lot of space in this scenario & bed size is important. In fact half a queen size mattress gives you less sleep room than if you were alone in a single bed or on a king single mattress. Does your bedroom give you the option to step up to a king size bed? This will just give you that extra width and it’s worth it in terms of dollars versus quality sleep.
Too hot in bed
Do you find yourself overheating at night while your other half is either sleeping like a baby or worse – too cold? Is it a hot mattress or do you chalk it up to generally being a hot sleeper, menopause, exercising before bedtime or all of the above?
If only there was some sort of temperature control mattress that could work for someone who gets too hot in bed but equally lets those who sleep cold get the zzzs they need too. Kulkote, pronounced Sleepyhead cool coat, is like a temperature bed that senses how you sleep. It’s not exactly a cooling mattress, more the technology that our product designers have come up with to help regulate the temperature on the sleep surface. How does it work?
Inside Kulkote, that forms part of your bed’s foam layers, are tiny microcapsules which, once you’re lying on the mattress, heat up and liquefy then start the process of absorbing heat. Studies show that once you heat up in bed and your skin temperature reaches between 29°C and 33°C, the KülKōte technology activates.
So if you’re sleeping hot, the Kulkote will sense this and stay at around 29°C. Without Kulkote, a hot mattress kept going and rose a full six degrees more – making it uncomfortable and possibly creating the scenario where you feel like you’re overheating at night. If a cooling mattress sounds like something that might help you & your partner sleep better then check out our Sleepyhead Stockists to try our range that contains Kulkote technology.
Snoring
Anyone who sleeps with a snorer can attest to the fact that, at times, it can feel like a good old fashioned waterboarding at Guantanamo would be better than lying next to hours of intolerable nose snorting and choked breathing.
It’s the number one reason why couples part ways during the night as the non-snorer seeks solitude some place else. Earplugs work, sure but what about the underlying issue of why someone snores. Deeper health concerns might be at play, such as breathing difficulties or even sleep apnea so it would pay to seriously investigate these first. If the snoring itself isn’t on the serious end of the spectrum, you might want to consider a contoured memory foam pillow especially if you or your other half is a back sleeper as it can help with snoring owing to the shape of the pillow itself aiding the opening of the airways.
Night owl, early bird
What happens if you’re an early riser but your partner is more of a night owl with a tendency to sleep in? These different circadian rhythms can play havoc with a good night’s sleep for both of you. A lot of studies have been done on chronotypes, that is the body’s natural clock & the way it can influence our lives. It might not be something you can necessarily change in someone so adapting to these behaviours is more common.
This can be as simple as keeping the noise level down on devices at night or ensuring you don’t pull open curtains early in the morning. Simple compromises to ensure your partner still gets their desired eight hours of sleep.
At the extreme end, some couples have found that separate bedrooms are necessarily when their desired sleep times or more to the point – when they’re awake at home – can be disruptive to their partner’s sleep.
