WHAT HAPPENS UNDER THE COVERS: Bed Sharing Tips for New Relationships

As the seasons begin to change and the weather gets colder, it gets easier and easier to slowly snuggle your way into winter hibernation mode. It can be very comforting and lovely, spending your nights getting cosy, especially when your relationship is new, but, there are a few things you should keep in mind when sharing a bed with your partner so you can both get the rest you need to be happy, healthy and enjoy all the fun things there are to do this fall.

1. Observe the ‘one-hour’ rule.

If you don’t go to sleep at the same time, make an agreement that the one who is up later will wait one hour before coming into the bedroom and/or turning on lights and making extra noise. This allows your partner to drift off into a deeper sleep so they won’t wake or stir so easily with you crawling in and it helps to avoid interrupting a REM cycle.

2. Decrease screen time.

This doesn’t mean giving up late-night TV watching altogether, just try to do it in a different room. This will minimize blue-light interfering with your sleep and gets you into a routine reinforcing that when you go to bed it’s time to relax with your partner and sleep.

3. Minimize light disturbances.

Eye masks are great for this! Particularly if one of you likes to read before going to sleep. With an eye mask, one of you can read without disturbing your partner as they try to drift off. It also makes the morning less disruptive if you and your partner don’t wake up at the same time and one of you needs to turn a light on in the morning to get dressed.

4. Only get under the covers at night.

This is the trickiest to put into practice because, during the fall and winter months, in particular, it can be so tempting to climb into bed and under the covers to relax, snuggle and warm up any time of the day or night. This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a lazy morning lay-in on the weekends, but it’s best for your sleep cycles to try not to lay down under the covers during the day and in the evening because you run the risk of falling asleep and that will make it more difficult for you to fall asleep at night.

5. Keep track of washing the sheets.

Now that there’s two of you, start talking to each other about who is washing the sheets and when. This is very easy to put into practice and pays off so you don’t strip the bed and wash the sheets right after your partner has just done the same thing AND so you don’t accidentally go a month without washing them at all. Washing the sheets once a week is ideal to get rid of body oil and keep them fresh.

6. Communicate and be understanding.

Unfortunately, the reality of sharing a bed every night means it’s not all cuddles and kisses all the time; there can be any number of sleep-interrupting complications on a nightly basis like blanket-hogging, snoring, sleep talking, etc.. The most important thing is to communicate with your partner to solve any sleep issues that come up right away so you can avoid compounding sleep loss and growing animosity and solve the issue before either of you losses more sleep, literally, over the issue. Compromise, communicate and get the sleep you need to be at your best.

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We make the mattress-buying process easy by delivering it directly to your door in one easy-to-handle compact box. We strongly believe in customizability, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. An easy one-minute quiz matches you to the ideal mattress for your lifestyle and sleep habits.

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