Survey: American Couples Have Trouble in Bed
Sleeping Together Can be a Nightmare for Couples
Survey Shows Sleeping Together Can Be Problematic
American couples are are not spending every night together, and in fact many find that sleeping separately leads to a better night’s sleep.
Sleep separation solves slumber problems
The perfect night’s sleep means getting some space for most couples.
- 63% of couples sleep most of the night separated
- 26% of respondents reported sleeping better alone
- 20% percent, or one in five, claim to “cling to their respective corners”
- 9% percent, or almost one in 10, say they sleep in separate bedrooms
- Almost 2 in 10 Americans say their dream home has separate master bedrooms
Women are losing more ZZZs than their partners
Women are more sensitive to their sleep environment than men.
- 20% of men claim not to have any problems sleeping vs. 12% of women
- 44% of women claim that tossing and turning keeps them up at night vs. 34% of men
- 42% of women claim that snoring keeps them up at night vs. 20% of men
- 60% of women say that their sleep environment keeps them awake more than their sleep partner, while only 48% of men make this claim
Young adults don’t sleep as well as older adults
Age impacts how greatly your sleeping environment affects you.
- 66% of 18- to 34-year-olds claim to have issues sleeping
- 53% of 35- to 54-year-olds claim to have issues sleeping
- 49% of adults 55 and older claim to have issues sleeping
Aging leads to more distance in bed for couples
55-year-olds and older are the least likely to cuddle close and spoon (only 7% report doing this), compared to:
- 19% of 18- to 34-year-olds
- 15% of 35- to 54-year-olds
55-year-olds and older are more likely to sleep in separate bedrooms (only 16% do so), compared to:
- 3% of 18- to 34-year-olds
- 7% of 35- to 54-year-olds
Most Americans are not dozing off easily
A huge majority of American adults (85%) report they have problems sleeping at night and say it is due to:
- Temperature in the room (43%)
- Spouse/partner tossing and turning (40%)
- Snoring (32%)
- Mattress quality, age and/or firmness (28%)
- Mattress size (10%)
Couples will do anything to get some shut-eye
We asked American adults in relationships to tell us the craziest things they’ve done to get around sleep issues with their partners. Here’s what some people said:
- Ask him to sleep in the living room
- I just try to remember there will come a day when I might not hear that snoring
- I have perfected defensive sleeping. I cling to my side, waking up to rearrange my husband, so he won’t punch or kick me during the night. I use my feet to keep track of where he is. I also kick back.
- Have a multitude of pillows that I can almost hide in to sleep
- I only sleep in the bed with my partner for our alone time together and then I get up and go sleep in a recliner
- When snoring becomes a problem I ask him to sleep in our spare room
- Wear ear plugs
- Wear ear muffs
- I’ve changed my sleeping schedule
- We take naps at different times of the day ALONE. That helps later that night. AND yes, we are retired (thank goodness).
- I wear pajamas and a sweatshirt and use an afghan over our light blanket to keep me warm. My husband sleeps nude and likes only the light blanket. Now I’m warm enough, and I sleep very well.
- I’m fine with the cool temps as long as I bundle up. Now we both sleep very well, right next to each other, always touching in some way.
- If he starts the snoring routine, he is sent to the sofa
- King-size comforter on a queen-size bed
- Make more whoopee
- Sleeping head to foot
- Twin beds
- We each use our own blankets
- We usually put a pillow or blanket between us so he doesn’t roll over on me
- I make him wear socks to bed so he doesn’t scratch me with his toenails
- When feeling restless, I throw a blanket on the floor, and lie there till I get sleepy again
Survey Details: Conducted in September 2012 with a statistically representative sample of U.S. adults (18+) in a committed relationship; a sample size of 542 yields a confidence interval of 95% +/- 4.2% .
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