Men sleep better next to their mates, Rest was more fragmented for females in shared bed

[fineleg]

Men sleep better next to their mates Rest was more fragmented for females in shared bed, study found Still, the 48-year-old New York City teacher has mixed feelings about choosing to sleep in separate beds. “There’s something nice about the warmth of a human body next to you, even if you’re not sleeping as well,” says Taylor, who has slept apart from her husband off and on for the last five of her 11-year marriage. “When you’re in bed together you’re in a little private space on your own time. Cuddling up on the couch with the phone ringing isn’t the same.” Taylor's trouble getting a good night's rest next to her husband isn't unusual. Women sleep less soundly when they share a bed with a romantic partner, a study published this month in Sleep and Biological Rhythms found. Surprisingly, men actually sleep better when they sleep next to a woman. There are a lot more couples sleeping separately than you might guess, says Mark Mahowald, director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center in Minneapolis and a professor of neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. An estimated 23 percent of American couples sleep apart, according to a survey by the National Sleep Foundation. A Canadian study reported that 34 perc ent of couples hit the sack separately. Women may have a tougher time sharing a bed because men are much more likely to be snorers, says Mahowald. And often, it’s the woman who has to move to a different bed — or room, in some cases — when the decibel level of her husband's snoring crescendos to an intolerable level. But snoring may not be the only problem for women who’d like to spoon all through the night. Device measured movements For the study, Austrian researchers asked 10 committed couples, ages 21 to 31, to wear a small device called an actigraph on their wrists while they slept at home. An actigraph, which resembles a wristwatch, keeps track of a person’s movements during the night and chronicles their periods of sleep and wakefulness. The actigraphs showed that the women’s sleep was more fragmented on nights when they shared a bed, than when they slept alone. The differences weren’t huge, but they were significant. The researchers speculated that women's fretful sleep might be caused by brain wiring differences between men and women. Women tend to be lighter sleepers because they historically have been the ones caring for infants, the researchers suggested. The actigraph's measurements would most likely have been even more distinct if the couples in the study had been older, says sleep expert Michael Perlis. That’s because snoring becomes more of an issue as men age, explains Perlis, director of the Sleep Research Lab and an associate professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y. Psychologist Wendy Troxel isn’t surprised to see that men do better when sleeping in a shared bed. Studies have shown that men are very dependent on close relationships — contrary to popular stereotypes, says Troxel, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh who has studied how the quality of a relationship affects overall health and sleep in men and women. In general, men show much clearer benefits from committed relationships, Troxel says. “My research shows that married men are much happier and healthier than unmarried men," she adds. “The findings are much less consistent with women.” Willing to sacrifice for a snuggle Noting that a good night’s sleep is important to daytime functioning, the Austrian researchers suggested that couples might consider the possible deleterious effects of sleeping together and choose separate beds instead. But Perlis and other sleep experts aren’t convinced that this is the best plan. “At the end of the day, there’s something essentially comforting about this behavior — so much so that people are sometimes willing to sacrifice perfect sleep to get it,” Perlis says. “I’d be hard pressed to imagine recommending with a cheerful heart for people to sleep apart.” Perlis and other experts suggest couples look for solutions to snoring and other sleep problems before turning to separate beds. “I’d recommend ear plugs, whatever it takes,” Perlis says. “That’s also partly a personal judgment.” Ear plugs have helped Taylor and her husband sleep through the night on vacations when the couple needed to share a bed. But, she says, they don’t help enough to make a shared bed work at home. “I’d like him to go get a sleep study,” she adds. “But so far he’s been unwilling to do that.” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21091112/wid/11915773?GT1=10514

[fineleg]

This is the poll - screwed up format while cut and paste, sorry! how do you sleep best? Alone. Next to my partner. Depends. Women, how do you sleep best? On my own. Next to my mate. Depends. What's your biggest complaint about sharing a bed with your partner? Snoring! The love of my life is a cover thief. I get crowded into a tiny space to sleep. You don't even want to know.

[Lurker]

That poll certainly did not come out right FL. I personally sleep best alone. This is because then I can afford to follow my own body clock and get up at my own time. When I am with someone the clock gets royally screwed and even though I almost always end up sleeping more than usual, I get up feeling that weird tiredness that comes after a bad sleep.

[fineleg]

Thats a very practical observation, Lurker. :thumbs_up:

[Guest dada_rocks]

I don't think anyone sleeps cuddle like they are showing in that picture......... I need my space, and like to sleep in weird position where there hardly remains any room for anyone to even think about cuddling:D

[varun]

I don't mind a cuddle :haha: (as long as the AC is on full blast.. or it gets too hot and irritating)

[Guest dada_rocks]

Canada aa jao Varun u won;t complain about heat for sure

[beetle]

..>>>>>>..I don't think anyone sleeps cuddle like they are showing in that picture......... They do..... The best part about sleeping with your mate is that it reduces your chances of falling off the bed.....:D

[sandtest]

it's embarrassing to admit, but I make a lot of nasal noise while sleeping as if Sukhois are about to take off from runway :D. Add to that, if day was eventful, then one can easily hear some talking coming out from me.:hysterical::hysterical:

[coffee_rules]

No cuddle for me or my ardhangini. she snores the roof out, I am almost legally deaf as it is.

[Guest dada_rocks]

..>>>>>>..I don't think anyone sleeps cuddle like they are showing in that picture......... They do..... The best part about sleeping with your mate is that it reduces your chances of falling off the bed.....:D

How do u get any sleep cu8ddlign like that Radhike :hysterical: Sorry for the presumption in above sentence

[beetle]

I like cuddling.If hubby is not around then I 'll cuddle the pillow...but I have to cuddle. can't sleep without it!:P ...and hubby can sleep even if he has the entire neighbourhood jumping on him...a really deep sleeper.

[Guest dada_rocks]

I like cuddling.If hubby is not around then I 'll cuddle the pillow...but I have to cuddle. can't sleep without it!:P ...and hubby can sleep even if he has the entire neighbourhood jumping on him...a really deep sleeper.

Cuddling pillow is fine because those pillowa are malleable and take the shape the way u want them to in ur arms or under ur feet .. BTW Make sure no neighbourhood lookers exploit sir's deep sleep.:D

[sandtest]

BTW Make sure no neighbourhood lookers exploit sir's deep sleep.:D

:hysterical: man, hamaare gaanv mein agar aisaa koi ghar ho toh, avashya hee Dakaiti pad jaayegi