Despite partners often complaining regarding their partner's snoring, a brand new survey has revealed that those laying next to someone they love, actually fall asleep much faster, as well as sleep for much longer throughout the night.
Just under 75 % of adults in a relationship said they take under an hour or so to fall asleep while merely a quarter of singletons said the same, according to research available here.
Albeit not really a huge difference, half of adults having a loving partner admit to conquer seven night's sleep each night, while just 42% of adults get seven hours plus of snoozing per night.
So, why exactly will we sleep better alongside someone that we're deeply in love with? Get Laid Beds spoke to Charisse Cooke, rapport psychotherapist at Charisse Cooke Therapy, who has said the next:
“Psychologically, the existence of a partner represents security and reduces feelings of danger, loneliness and isolation. Even though sleeping having a partner can occasionally cause disruption to the sleeping patterns, because of snoring, restlessness or medical health issues, the vast majority of people prefer that to sleeping alone. This talks about our interdependence with other people and also the importance of social relationships and sense of community, even in our modern, individualistic lives.”
The same study also looked into what people do before going to sleep that contributes to a good night's sleep. Turns out, a good thing we can do before bed is read a book – with over 1 / 2 of the people who admit reading to be the last thing they are doing before going to sleep, to have seven hours plus of sleep per night.
For those that struggle to focus on reading a book before going to sleep, some advice received from Katherine Hall, Sleep Expert at Somnus Sleep Therapy, suggests:
“If the temptation to look at television immediately before closing your eyes is robust, you need to start realistically. It is all about getting into a manageable routine, rather than doing it for a few nights and giving up because it's not sustainable.
Find a genre in which you're interested, but isn't too difficult to process or follow. The very last thing you want would be to dive into an academic journal of some kind only to be laying there afterwards attempting to comprehend it all.
Self-help is a great genre as they are not only designed to be read by everyone, the subject matter may also have a positive impact on the following day, thus reinforcing a far more concrete routine in general.”
However, for those that take a long walk to 'tire themselves out' before striking the bed, you're doing the work wrong. Works out, this may be the least effective thing that somebody can do, with it being a lot more than seven times less effective than reading, the number one spot. Only a third of late-night walkers actually get seven hours rest, or even more, and the other third get under four hours of sleep per night.
We are all aware that social networking and blue light is bad for us before we hit the pillow, however this survey reassured us that going on our phone really isn't good for any quick fall-asleep. 1 / 2 of respondents said that it requires them 2 hours to fall asleep once turning their phone off to actually be inside a full snooze.
So, why do some routines are superior to others? According to WebMD, working out late into the evening can lift up your core body's temperature, speed your heartbeat up and tells your body to help keep producing adrenaline. This is why the likes of a late walk can do more harm than good.
Meanwhile, reading helps us reduce stress levels, so the ones that are night time over thinkers will really take advantage of some late-night books. Based on Healthline, reading for 30 minutes can reduce as much stress as yoga can for the same period of time.
A 2022 study, mentioned within the same Healthline article, conducted an experiment that focussed on whether people that read before going to sleep had a better sleep quality than those that do not. 496 participants were asked to read before bed, and the other 496 participants were advised to not read before bed. Following the first week passed, 42% from the readers felt that their sleep improved, while only 28% of people who didn't read reported that their sleep improved.
There were other rituals that were checked out within the study. These included aiming clothes in the morning, meditation, writing in a journal, creating a bag and creating a to-do list for tomorrow.
However, it's millennials that're most likely that you follow a bedtime ritual, instead of every other generation. Actually, 16-24 year olds are twice as prone to stick to their bedtime ritual than those that are over the age of 55.
If you're someone that struggles going to sleep during the night, or someone that can't remain asleep at night, incorporating a night-time routine might be the next step. If you're unsure on which routine to start with, start with reading, as which has been proven in this study because the most successful ritual to help individuals to fall asleep.
However, if you are inside a relationship and sleeps in a separate bed as their partner, due to loud snoring or other bad traits that they might have, remodel which will try and spend the night time next to them for a night to ascertain if you actually do have the ability to fall asleep quicker and have a better-quality sleep.
There are lots of items that you can test and incorporate to your relationship to assist aid a much better night's sleep together, for instance, some ear-plugs that stop the snoring of the individual next to you, a mattress that adjusts for your body temperature for people who need to sleep with someone too hot or freezing and for that reason need more/less layers, and even just improving simple interiors, for example using neutral colours, or using more houseplants.
If you are always struggling on getting to sleep or staying asleep after trying both above, then other options of things to complete before bed that have been shown to be successful within the study include switching off all technology who are around you, setting out your clothes for the following day and taking a hot bath or shower.
If you're after some more sleep tips, then take a look at our sleep tips for woman blog here or our blog on healthy sleep habits here.