The traditional image of a relationship is that both partners sleep together, but more and more research is coming to suggest that partners sleeping in a small double bed together can be doing more harm to a relationship than good.
Recent research conducted by Surrey University suggested that sleeping in separate beds may actually be healthier, avoiding arguments over issues like snoring, sharing space or disturbing each other’s sleep.
Here’s a stat from the British Snoring and Sleep Apnea Association; 41.5% of people in the British Isles snore. That leads to 15 million people whose partner snores. The resultant loss of sleep, which is experienced by an estimated third of the UK’s population, has been calculated as up to two years worth of sleep. It’s also true that male snorers outnumber female snorers by 2.3 to 1. The medical reason for this is that women have wider airways than men. Sorry to add more ammunition to the wars of the sexes, but in this case, it’s true! By the age of 60, roughly 60% of all men snore.
Now, given that we all typically need between seven and a half and eight and a half hours’ sleep, it’s clear that this is a pretty bad state of affairs. Thankfully, there’s a lot that can be done. There’s a myriad of snoring aids out there. You can move to a more comfortable bed, you can ensure that your sleeping environment is comfortably and find an anti-snoring aid that works for you. There’s sleeping pillows to improve your posture, nasal sprays which can keep your airways open, and mandibular advancement devices and CPAP machines for the more seriously afflicted. There’s always things we can do.
So if you have a problem, don’t ignore it. Sort it out, for your own sake, and that of your partner.
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