Later On

Sleeping in the same bed works for some, but not for all—particularly if one of the pair is a restless sleeper and the other a light sleeper, or if one snores to beat the band. Interesting note by Lisa Belkin in the NY Times:

When couples become parents they give a lot of attention to where the baby sleeps — particularly to the question of whether that baby sleeps with them. Will their infant sleep better in the same room — or bed — as Mom and Dad? Will Mom and Dad get enough sleep with an extra person around?

What gets far less attention is the quality of sleep when Mom and Dad share a bed. At wsj.com yesterday, Sue Shellenberger took a look at the assumption that this is what all couples should do. Some, she concludes (and she puts herself and her ex-husband in this category), would do better sleeping apart.

She cites a presentation at the British Science Festival last week by sleep expert Dr. Neil Stanley, who sleeps in a different room from his wife and believes others should at least consider following suit. He said:

It’s about what makes you happy. If you’ve been sleeping together and you both sleep perfectly well, then don’t change, but don’t be afraid to do something different.

We all know what it’s like to have a cuddle and then say ‘I’m going to sleep now’ and go to the opposite side of the bed. So why not just toddle off down the landing?

Dr. Stanley is an author of a study published earlier this year in the journal Chronobiology International, which found that adults who share a bed are 50 percent more likely to have their sleep interrupted during the night than those who sleep alone. Yet while there is data that hints that more couples are opting for separate bedrooms — the National Sleep Foundation says that 23 percent of married Americans slept solo in 2005 compared with 12 percent in 2001 — for most of us, co-sleeping with a spouse or partner is still the expectation and the norm…

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