Bad news for guys who just want some friggin’ sleep, if only she’d uncoil her cold limbs from you: happier couples tend to sleep closer together.
This research comes courtesy of the Edinburgh International Science Festival, where researchers quizzed 1,000 people on how far apart they slept and the quality of their relationship. In general, the further apart people spent the night, the worse their relationship. Eighty-six per cent of those who slept less than an inch apart from their significant other reported being happy with their relationship. Compare that with only sixty-six per cent of those who slept more than thirty inches apart.
According to Richard Wiseman, author of the study, “One of the most important differences involved touching, with 94% of couples who spent the night in contact with one another were happy with their relationship, compared to just 68% of those that didn’t touch.”
Other fun facts: forty-two per cent of people report sleeping back to back, thirty-one per cent facing the same direction, four per cent facing one another. Twelve per cent of couples spend the night less than an inch apart, while two per cent sleep over thirty inches apart.
Of course, the main problem where is that they’re just asking people about their habits: no one is measuring their sleep posture while sleeping. That said, we recommend that you do whatever guarantees you the most sleep, since poor sleep also leads to marital strife. Protip: helps if she’s satisfied.
