Humans spend almost one-third of their lives sleeping, so it’s only natural that we want to optimize the quality of our sleep. Many factors can affect how well we sleep, including our sleeping positions, mattress, and pillow quality.

All these factors and more play a crucial role in determining the quality of our sleep. Interestingly, our sleeping partners can also affect the quality of our sleep.

How Sleeping with Your Partner Affects Your Sleep

Sharing a bed with someone can have a significant impact on the quality of your sleep, for better or worse. Here are some ways that the person you share your bed with can affect your sleep:.

1. Snoring

Snoring can be a significant disturbance that can impact both the snorer and their partner. The noise generated by a snore can be loud enough to wake up the partner, making it difficult for them to go back to sleep.

Snoring can also affect the snorer, increasing their heart rate and raising their blood pressure, making them more vulnerable to heart disease.

2. Different Sleep Schedules

People have different sleep patterns, and if your partner’s sleep schedule doesn’t align with yours, the difference can lead to disrupted sleep.

For instance, if one person wakes up earlier than the other, they may turn on the lights or make noise that wakes up the other.

3. Body Temperature

Sharing a bed can affect your body temperature, making it difficult to fall asleep. If your partner runs hot or cold, they may cause the bed to be too warm or too cold, making it hard to sleep.

4. Movement During Sleep

Sleep movements can significantly impact your sleep quality. If your partner tosses and turns at night, the movements can wake you up or keep you from falling asleep.

5. Different Sleep Preferences

Some people prefer to sleep with a fan or the TV on, while others don’t. If your sleeping preferences differ from your partner’s, it can lead to disrupted sleep.

Noise and light from a TV can also disrupt sleep, making it more difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep.

6. Health Issues

Sharing a bed can expose you to health issues such as allergies or contagious illnesses. For instance, your partner’s allergy to your mattress or bedding can cause them to sneeze, snore, or cough, making it difficult for you both to sleep.

How to Improve Your Sleep Quality with a Sleeping Partner

While our sleeping partners can affect the quality of our sleep, there are things you can do to improve it:.

1. Sleep on a Larger Bed

Sleeping on a larger bed can provide enough space between you and your partner to minimize disturbances that arise from movement or different temperature preferences.

2. Upgrade Your Mattress and Pillows

Investing in a good quality mattress and pillows can significantly improve your sleep quality. Memory foam or latex mattresses can provide ample support and reduce instances of movement disturbance.

For pillows, choose those that suit your individual needs, such as side-sleeper or back-sleeper pillows.

3. Work with Your Partner to establish Sleep Rules

Discussing sleep rules and sticking to them can minimize differences that arise from different sleep preferences.

Establishing rules such as keeping the bedroom temperature at a specific level, shutting off the TV or other electronics, or agreeing on a sleep schedule can go a long way in ensuring good sleep.

4. Address Health Issues

If your partner has allergies or a contagious illness, taking steps to address it can minimize the effect it has on your sleep. Investing in quality bedding and keeping the bedroom dust-free can mitigate allergies that affect your sleep.

For infectious illnesses, consider setting aside separate sleeping quarters for the duration of the illness.

5. Seek Professional Help

If snoring is a disturbance, seeking professional help from a doctor or sleep specialist can provide insight into the cause and suggest measures to mitigate it.

Sleep therapy, which involves spending the night in a controlled environment under professional observation, can help identify sleep disturbances and provide solutions to address them.

Conclusion

The quality of our sleep affects our overall health and wellbeing. While our sleeping partners can affect the quality of our sleep, taking steps to address it can improve it.

Investing in a good quality mattress and pillows, setting rules for sleep, and seeking professional help can all go a long way in ensuring quality sleep.