We all know how essential a good night’s sleep can be for our health, but whilst we might be prioritising our bedtime routine, our partner’s night time habits may be the thing that’s costing us a perfect night’s sleep.
Whether they’re a champion snorer, elite level fidgeter or they just have a completely different sleep schedule to you - it doesn’t take much to affect our eight hours. So what can we do about it? How can we sleep better as a couple & is it time for a sleep divorce?
Dr Wendy Troxel, is licenced clinical psychologist specially trained in sleep medicine & a senior behavioural scientist at the RAND Corporation think tank and the author of Sharing the Covers: Every Couple’s Guide to Better Sleep. Want to become a podcast sponsor, got some feedback for me or just fancy a chat? Email me - thatshelpful@edstott.com
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BOOKS Sharing the Covers: Every Couple’s Guide to Better Sleep TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:11 Why this is Wendy’s area of expertise 00:02:17 What does the research say about sleeping together or separately? 00:04:30 How men & women sleep differently 00:07:45 The benefits of sharing a bed 00:10:35 How we’ve slept throughout history 00:12:53 How important sleep is to our relationship 00:14:30 When to re-evaluate sleeping in the same bed 00:18:30 How to start experimenting with sleep as a couple 00:23:40 The stigma against night owls 00:27:28 Why we should see sleep as a social behaviour 00:31:51 Sleep as a public health issue 00:32:48 How to manage pets & kids in the bed 00:38:00 The one thing to take away 00:39:39 Sleep & morality