To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Although you and your mate may get along during waking, “vertical” hours, your “horizontal life” may be full of conflict!  Not everyone sleeps the same way, so figuring out a game plan for handling different sleep preferences is key to compromising.  Below are some things to consider for you and your mate to have the optimal sleep experience as a couple:

1. Everyone’s body temperature is different.  Some like the bedroom hot; some like it cold.  If you or your mate is a freeze baby, consider bringing a hot water bottle to bed with you.  Slip it under the covers 5 minutes before going to bed and you or your mate will be toasty warm when first getting to bed.  Keep the hot water bottle within 3 inches of one of you, and it won’t matter if the windows are wide open.  Both you and your mate will feel comfortable.
2. Not everyone’s back is constructed alike.  Some like a hard mattress; some like a soft mattress. Investing in a good mattress that meets both your and your mate’s needs is so worth the money.  This is one area where you don’t want to skimp!
3. Space is so, so important in the horizontal life of a couple.  The size of a bed is something on which you and your mate must compromise.  Play it safe and go bigger than smaller.  If you both have ample stretching and flailing space, all will be well.  A king-sized bed may be the way to go.
4. We all have “pre-sleep” routines.  Agreeing on them is important.  If your routine is to watch TV, or work on your laptop or ipad, I recommend you unplug technology at least two nights per week.  The goal, in my opinion, is to add a techno-free night every month, until you go to bed without technology more than you go to bed with technology.
5. How you wake up can affect the beginning of your day.  You and your mate may not like to wake up the same way.  If one of you is averse to the sound of a loud alarm, you may want to look into getting a sunrise alarm.  This alarm simulates the rising of the sun by increasing light in your bedroom minutes at a time.  Although there is no audio, the visual affect is sure to awaken even the soundest of sleepers.

Whatever compromises you and your mate agree to, know that your investment in your horizontal life will pay off in a big way for your vertical life.  For more ideas on how to make your bedtime routine harmonious, click here.