Unwind Before You Come Unhinged: Tips for Sleeping Better with Your Partner

Many partners have challenges sleeping in the same bed together. Before taking up residence in a different room in the house, here are 4 ways to improve your sleeping situation with your snoring sweetheart.

Remember the days you were so in love with your partner, you couldn’t wait to be able to sleep next to them every night? Remember when you couldn’t wait to cuddle with your partner right before drifting off into sweet dreams of being on cloud 9 and in love? 

Fast forward to today and your partner’s snoring makes you want to gauge your own ear drums out with a spoon. You kick them once the sounds that would even frighten a grizzly bear hit a fever pitch, alarming them awake while you pretend to be asleep, as if you didn’t just assault your partner in their most defenseless state (it’s okay, I’m laughing too).

You’re not alone. In fact, according to a 2017 survey, 1 in 4 couples now sleep in separate beds including couples you might not suspect, such as Queen Elizabeth and (the late) Prince Philip and Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter.

But sleeping separately doesn’t necessarily mean you are any less committed to the relationship. It just means keeping the lines of communication open and respecting each other’s preferences as much as possible. Sometimes, sleeping separately works best for everyone, but if you’re dedicated to making it work with your cuddle partner for life, here are some tips to sleep better together in the same bedroom.

4 Tips to Sleep More Peacefully with Your Partner

1. Use a sound machine to drown out your partner’s snoring. Don’t use alcohol to (literally) drown out the noise at bedtime—but a good old-fashioned sound machine or ceiling fan can definitely do the trick! This compilation of the best noise-drowning sound machines can help you choose a product that works best for you! Aside from drowning out the noise, studies show that white noise machines can actually help you fall asleep faster and improve cognitive performance! 
2. Use separate blankets to appease the temperature needs of both parties. Feet always freezing in bed and your spouse is dead set on keeping the thermostat at 67? Before jumping straight to sleeping in separate rooms, consider using separate blankets or even getting a split mattress. You’d be amazed at how much better the sleep experience can be when you have the right blanket with the right warmth and weight. You may even consider adding a weighted blanket which can help reduce feelings of anxiety, not just at bedtime, but all the time. In one study, 63% of participants reported lower anxiety after only five minutes underneath a weighted blanket! This weighted blanket is a cut above the rest that I've tried over the years.
3. Read Sharing the Covers by Dr. Wendy Trexel. Dr. Trexel is dedicated to teaching people how to sleep more soundly with their significant others and helping them find solutions to maximize sleep quality for both partners. 
4. Consider an all-natural sleep aid. If you already suffer from poor sleep, adding restlessness and irritability to the mix in addition to your partner’s snoring can be a recipe for disaster. Adding an all-natural, high-quality supplement like Magnesium can help you wind down at bedtime and drift into sleep more peacefully. Since upwards of half of all Americans are deficient in Magnesium, an essential mineral responsible for hundreds of critical biological processes including facilitating restful sleep, this could help you effortlessly drown out the noise without the scary side effects associated with pharmaceutical sleep aids.

If you have tried everything (including these tips and seeing a licensed health professional about snoring which could be indicative of other health issues), and still can’t find a way to sleep soundly together, sleeping separately may be the inevitable answer. When opting for this as a last resort, consider using positive word choice: Don’t call it a “sleep divorce”—call it solo sleeping. And just be mindful to keep lines of communication open and continue to demonstrate a commitment to one another to keep the love alive, no matter which bedroom you’re in.

Sleep Better, Together

As a former bad sleeper whose mood, energy, and overall health were impacted by a lack of quality sleep, I went on my own journey after a decade of dependence on sleep medication to improve my health and life by improving my own sleep. 

Now I help people “makeover” their sleep protocols so they fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and wake feeling refreshed.

If you are ready to create your own sleep sanctuary and overcome the “sleep stealers” that are keeping you and your partner from feeling your best, contact me today for a complimentary 20 minute discovery call.

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