Sleep Alone or Sleep with Someone: Which One is Better?

CONTENTS

• The Benefits of Sleeping Alone
• The Benefits of Sleeping with Partner
• What is Sleep Concordance?

The Benefits of Sleeping Alone

Let’s start with the perks of solo slumber. You have the whole bed to spread out when you sleep by yourself. You won’t have to worry about upsetting anyone by changing the lighting, noise level, or temperature of the space to your preference. Furthermore, there’s no chance of being kicked or snored throughout the night.

So based on the above paragraph, sleeping alone seems to be much better than sleeping with others? Well, that’s interesting.

The Benefits of Sleeping with Partner

In a 2015 study, Kai Spiegelhalder and colleagues randomly divided 15 heterosexual couples into four groups and asked them to try four different sleeping arrangements: sharing a bed at the male partner’s house, sleeping alone at their own horse, sleeping alone at their partner’s house, and sharing a bed at the female partner’s house. For five days, they documented the participants’ sleep patterns and sleep quality diary. Upon comparing the data, the researchers discovered that although partners who slept together experienced higher-quality sleep than those who slept alone, where they slept didn’t have much impact on their sleep quality.

Dr. Henning Drews and his colleagues from the University of Kiel in Germany recruited 12 childless, healthy heterosexual couples aged 18-29 to evaluate their sleep structure. In a four-night sleep lab, some couples slept alone, while others shared a bed. The researchers employed a highly accurate and thorough technique to evaluate their sleep metrics, including brain waves, respiration, muscle activity, and heart data, using multi-channel sleep monitoring equipment.

The 12 couples were also required to complete a questionnaire that measured many aspects of their personal relationships, including length of the relationship, intensity of passion, and depth of the connection. As a result, the study concludes that couples who share a bed experience better quality sleep than those who do not.

Dr. Henning Drews concluded, "Sleeping with your partner in the same bed has its benefits. It can improve your mental well-being and even enhance your memory and creativity!"

It seems like your sleep quality is not as good when sleeping with your partner, which contradicts the findings of some sleep studies. Now, let me introduce the concept of “sleep concordance.”

What is Sleep Concordance?

This could be explained by the idea of sleep concordance, also known as sleep matching, in psychology literature. Sleep concordance encompasses a variety of factors, including bedtime, sleep rhythm, and sleep behaviors. In essence, it's about whether both partners have a "rhythm" when they sleep together. Variations in bedtime, sleeping positions, and even arguments over the blanket or space can result in low sleep concordance, which can lead to poorer sleep quality. These studies suggest that sleep concordance may be the reason why some couples have no trouble sleeping together while others find it difficult to get a decent night's rest. Overall, their sleep concordance may not be very high.

In simple terms, the closer we are to our partners, the better our sleep habits sync up. As our relationship develops, our sleeping patterns will also get better since we will be praising and talking to each other during the day and progressively developing intimacy and rapport in our regular encounters. If, however, your sleep remains unattainable, it's critical to put your own health first and think about sleep separately.