Sleeping with Partners

Sleeping alongside your partner can bring a raft of benefits such as longer and better sleep, improved mental health and a 10% increase in REM sleep. But, it seems that sometimes our partners have a negative impact.

Sharing a Bed

79% of Brits in a relationship sleep in the same bed, but if we look at over 60s, 27% prefer to sleep separately. Again, we see a gender divide with 41% of women preferring to sleep alone compared to 33% of men.

37% Prefer Sleeping Alone laid over a woman sleeping solo on her side

19% Prefer Sharing The Bed laid over an image of a man and a woman in bed smiling at each other.

33% of us say that it Makes No Difference whether we share a bed or not laid over an image of a family of 4 all in the same bed.

Sleeping With a Partner

Direct Line found that over 30m Brits who share a bed with their partner struggle to sleep. 32% of respondents say that their partner’s snoring disrupts them, and 21% blame their sleep schedule or lifestyle as the cause. 55% of those would consider a ‘sleep separation’.

Similarly, a 2022 survey by MyVitamins found that 57% of Brits report being too hot as the main reason for not sleeping.

Snoring

The British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association suggests that 41.5% of Brits snore, with men 2.3 times more likely to snore than women.

The Scandinavian Sleep Method

All the rage on TikTok, the Scandinavian Sleep Method is gaining popularity here too. In simple terms, both partners sleep in the same bed but have separate duvets.

We don’t know how many British couples have adopted the practice, but the original video from Swedish influencer Cecilia Blomdahl has received over 1.7 million views and 188,400 likes.

Will you try it tonight?

View the technique here!

Sleeping with Pets

Regardless of whether you’re a dog or cat person, it seems we’re happy to let our furry friends share our beds.

49% of pet owners let them in, with 29% doing so regularly and 20% allowing it sometimes.

Interestingly, although more women prefer to sleep away from their partner, the sentiment doesn’t extend to our four-legged friends and 55% of women are likely to invite pets into bed compared to 43% of men.

Many people sleep with their pets believing that it helps them to relax, feel more secure and to sleep better. Research evidence suggests that people who share their beds with a canine companion or a feline friend take longer to fall asleep, have more disturbed sleep during the night, and are more likely to wake up tired.
Dr Sophie Bostock, our resident sleep expert

Sleep Style

Figures vary, but on any night we can expect between 20% and 25% of Brits to sleep naked, and between around 25% and 30% opting for just underwear.

Pyjamas still reign supreme, with around 47% sleeping in their PJs, either with or without underwear, and 12% sleeping in ‘something else’ like a T-shirt. In all cases, men are more likely to sleep naked, while women tend to prefer wearing something.

Figures vary, but on any night we can expect between 20% and 25% of Brits to sleep naked, and between around 25% and 30% opting for just underwear.

What do you usually sleep in?

According to a YouGov survey, there's almost an even split across the board of respondents reporting that they sleep in PJs with underwear, PJs without underwear, just underwear, or in their birthday suits.

But when we break this down by gender, we find that men are more likely to sleep in just their underwear (32%) or naked (25%), while women are much more likely to sleep in PJs with underwear (31%) or without underwear (29%).

Discover more Great British sleep stats

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