From tossing and turning to snoring, sleep-talking, loud breathing, and beyond…

Sharing a bed with a partner can be frustrating if one (or both) of you are disruptive sleepers.

After all, waking up after a night of restless sleep caused by a partner can take a toll on even the most loving of relationships. After all, quality sleep is the foundation for our health and well being.

A continual lack of sleep can cause a decline in health, leading to a lowered immune system and a drop in productivity (1).

So you need to nip disruptive sleep patterns in the bud before you and your partner start to go crazy on each other.

Like virtually any relationship issue, the solution is: compromise.

Below are some tips and tricks to keep your love blooming, even when your partner ninja-rolls your sheets away.

Your Partner’s Sleep Disruption Type — And How To Fix It

Let’s face it, cuddling is cute and sweet, but not the most comfortable position to sleep in. Weird parts of your body get crimped and cramped, while limbs painfully fall asleep and muscles seize up.

Instead of tangling yourselves up in uncomfortable knots, try laying side by side and simply touching arms or holding hands. The feeling of closeness is still present, while each of you has your own space.

If holding hands doesn’t cut it for you lovebirds, try cheek to cheek. And no — we don’t mean faces. Curl up facing away from each other in your own comfortable position and, well, touch cheeks.  

Snoring can lead to sleepless nights for your partner and is the number one complaint of slumbering couples (1).

So what can you do to reduce the wall-shaking, sound barrier breaking snoring?

A lot, as it turns out.

Many things may cause snoring: vibrations in the narrowing upper airways, small airway, large neck, nasal congestion, allergies, or blockage (like tonsils). It’s best to try out different remedies until you find one that works (2).

Here are a few ideas to start you off:

(Note: if your snoring is caused by sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder that causes you to stop and starts breathing randomly, you may need to see a doctor and invest in a CPAP machine.

These machines use air pressure through a mask to help breathe for you. Sleep apnea cannot be cured by these remedies and require treatment from a medical professional (3).)

As hilarious as it may be to hear your partner negotiate with a unicorn or yell at a pirate who stole their treasure, regular interruptions of your sleep can lead to a decline in your health and well being.

If your partner talks in their sleep so much that it disrupts yours, you may want to try wearing comfortable noise-canceling headphones to bed with white noise or music.

Ah yes... the familiar feeling of waking up freezing, turning to your partner and realizing they’re wrapped up in 100% of the sheets on your bed.

We recommend stealing a strategy from the birthplace of IKEA: try sleeping like a Scandinavian by sleeping with two comforters (one for you, one for your partner). (4).

With two twin-sized comforters instead of one large one, each partner has their own cover to roll up and toss around in. No more frigid-air-touching-your-skin wake-up calls at 3 a.m. 

If the sheet hogging is caused by excessive tossing and turning, it may be time to invest in a larger bed too.

Splurging on a large bed may be the real key to restful sleep, especially if you constantly wake up to your partner’s arms across your face.

Quality Sleep Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Sources:

(1) Zamosky, Lisa. “How to Cope With a Bad Bed Partner." WebMD, www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/how-to-cope-with-a-bad-bed-partner#1. Accessed 25 Mar. 2019.

(2) “15 Remedies That Will Stop Snoring." Healthline, www.healthline.com/health/snoring-remedies. Accessed 25 Mar. 2019.

(3) “Sleep apnea.” Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20377631. Accessed 25 Mar. 2019.

(4) Smith, Elizabeth. "What It Means to Sleep Like a Scandinavian." Tomorrow Magazine, 6 Mar. 2018, www.tomorrowsleep.com/magazine/hygge-couple-sleeping