Your nightly rest period can be anything but restful if you have a partner who constantly tosses and turns, snores or hogs the covers. But it might not just be your partner who causes the sleep problems. A 1994 study published in the journal "Sleep" indicated that sleepers often move in concert with their partners in an almost choreographed sequence of tossing and turning. Kicking your partner out of bed might not be the solution. The study indicated that even though their partners moved a lot during the night, participants still slept better than when they slept alone. If your partner keeps you up at night through movements or sounds, there are a few adjustments you can make to improve your own sleep without also interfering with your partner's.
Step 1
Get a new mattress. A new mattress can improve your sleep comfort by as much as 70 percent according to BetterSleep.org's Better Sleep Guide. Consider a new mattress if yours is more than 5 years old, has lumps or sagging spots or if you wake up with stiffness, aches and pains. Better sleep comfort can reduce tossing and turning from your partner so you get a better night's sleep.
Step 2
Make lifestyle and health changes that will lessen your partner's snoring. Lose weight, according to Help Guide.org, as excess fat directly contributes to snoring. See a doctor to get nasal and sinus problems treated. Sleep on your side instead of your back to snore less.
Step 3
Get you or your partner tested for sleep disorders like sleep apnea and sleep cycle problems. If you or your partner wakes up with a loud snort and a sudden gasp for breath, that's a sign of sleep apnea according to Help Guide.org. If you find you never get a quality night's sleep even when your partner's activity is minimal, you could have an undiagnosed sleep problem.
Step 4
Encourage your children to sleep in their own beds. You might sleep like a log with your children safely cradled in your arms, but the decreased space and the kicks and jabs from little limbs might keep your partner awake at night. In addition to causing sleep problems, allowing your children to co-sleep can lead to problems like suffocation according to The American Academy of Pediatrics.
Step 5
Sleep with your own designated blanket if your partner has a habit of rolling around and stealing yours. This can help prevent waking up in the middle of the night because you're too cold.
Step 6
Take prescription sleep aids if nothing you try helps you and your partner sleep better together. Lack of sleep can put a strain on your marriage and can negatively impact your health, work performance and personal relationships, according to Help Guide.org.
References
- Help Guide.org: How to Stop Snoring
- Better Sleep.org: Healthy Sleep Guide
- "Pediatrics": Where Should Infants Sleep? A Comparison of Risk for Suffocation of Infants Sleeping in Cribs, Adult Beds, and Other Sleeping Locations , 2003
- "Sleep": The Influence of Bed Partners on Movements During Sleep, 1994
