Partner Hogging The Covers? Try The Scandinavian Sleep Method
When relationships first start out, you and your partner may not be able to get enough of each other. You snuggle whenever you can and spoon at night. Yet something happens along the way in many long-term relationships that cause the thrill to dissipate in lieu of actually getting a good night's sleep.
For many, sleeping with your partner doesn't allow for a decent night of sleep. In fact, a National Sleep Foundation poll found that one out of every four couples sleeps in separate beds. "People are losing sleep. They are waking each other up, and there is this resentment that begins to build in a relationship," psychologist and life coach Jill Lankler told USA Today. "If you don't address that, obviously your relationship is going to suffer, your work suffers. It's this cascade."
Still, not everyone wants to sleep alone and there is one method that may enable both partners to sleep together comfortably.
Stealing blankets can be a big sleep issue
Who among us hasn't been curled up underneath a warm blanket, snug as a bug in a rug, only to abruptly be pulled out of our warm cocoon with one abrupt turn from a sleeping partner? While snoring looms large on the list of problematic sleeping patterns of couples, another issue is sleep disturbance from a partner, especially when one partner takes the majority of the blanket, whether knowingly or unknowingly.
This is where the Scandinavian sleep method can rescue unhappy and sleep-deprived couples, as per Refinery29. Rather than engage in a full sleep divorce in which you choose to sleep in different beds just to get adequate sleep, this method, which is standard throughout Scandinavia as well as other European countries, employs a blanket divorce instead and helps achieve the same results.
For many couples, not having enough of the blanket or feeling constrained while confined under one blanket can cause repeated interrupted sleep. So when you go to sleep each night with your own individual blankets, it can solve issues for those with partners who hog the blankets.
Having your own blankets at night can also help regulate temperature
Another problem for many couples is syncing on the right sleeping temperature. It's the reason why mattress makers have come out with beds where you can adjust the temperature on each side (via Hello Good Night). Yet you can also easily adjust your individual temperature without running out to buy a new bed.
It's common for one partner to typically be colder or hotter than the other. When you utilize two different blankets at night, you can each choose your own level of comfort in a blanket. One might choose a thick duvet while another may opt for a thin quilt.
Another way separate blankets help is when one partner has sensory or touch sensitivities. For many people, the types of fabric can affect their level of comfort. For those who are neurodivergent or live with anxiety, weighted blankets can help improve their comfort level and sleep. The pressure from the heavy blankets calms the nervous system and slows down breathing (via Penn Medicine). If you or your partner have been having trouble sleeping, it can't hurt to try using two separate blankest for a week or so and seeing if it helps improve your sleep.