Co-sleeping isn’t always the romantic ideal it might seem – between snoring, duvet hogging and your other-half doing starfish impersonations, blissful shut-eye isn’t always on the cards.
However, it has been showed that sleeping naked with your partner can equal relationship harmony. A recent survey from Cotton USA found couples that sleep naked together are happier than those who hit the sack in their PJ’s or other clothes. Brrrr, in this weather, really? ‘Bare’ with us…
The survey asked 1,004 people about their sleeping habits and what they wore in bed and how happy they felt in their relationship. 57 per cent of couples that slept in the nude said they were happy together, compared with 48 per cent of those in pyjamas and 43 per cent of nightie wearers. Do you have a bad giraffe onesie in your wardrobe? Keep it out of the bedroom because only 38 per cent of onesie-wearers said they were happy.
It is not exactly understood why sleeping naked makes us happier but Stephanie Thiers-Ratcliffe, of Cotton USA, said nudity encourages openness and intimacy, leading to greater levels of satisfaction. “There are many factors which can affect the success of a relationship,” she said. “But one factor which is often overlooked is the bedroom environment.”
Another survey also showed happiness increases when couples sleep closer together. So if you get too hot, it’s time to get a thinner duvet or open a window. The study conducted at Edinburgh International Science Festival discovered that out of a 1,000 people, those who slept less than an inch apart were more likely to be happy with their relationship.
The study also revealed the most popular sleep positions of couples, with 42 per cent lying back-to-back, 31 per cent facing the same direction and four per cent facing in towards one another. Twelve per cent of couples spent the night less than an inch apart while just two per cent were separated by more than 30in.
Professor Richard Wiseman, a psychologist of the University of Hertfordshire who led the study, said: “One of the most important differences involved touching. 94 per cent of couples who spent the night in contact with one another were happy with their relationship, compared to just 68 per cent of those that didn’t touch.”
Interesting stuff, would you sleep in the buff? Tell us you thoughts @lovestruck
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