Sleeping with a Partner

The latest Better Sleep Council research delves into bed partners and sleep.

Every day, Retail Sales associates encounter people looking for a new mattress and ask shoppers qualifying questions: Why are they looking to replace their mattress? What are their pain points? What are their sleep positions? Do they share a bed with a partner? And more.

Obviously, some questions about bedtime activities shouldn’t be asked in that setting. So, the Better Sleep Council asked them in a recent online survey on sleeping with a partner.

Here are a few key findings from this general population survey conducted in February. 

Sleeping alone or together

First, of the people surveyed, slightly more than half (54%) are in a relationship and live with their partner. Nearly two-thirds of adults reported sharing a bed with a partner at least once a week.

Relationship status matters when choosing bed size. Nearly half of adults who live with a partner sleep on a king-size bed, while more than half of single adults sleep on a queen-size bed. 

How do those partnerships affect sleep? Respondents were evenly split on whether they get a better night’s sleep alone or with a partner. About half of men (51%) said they slept better with a partner, whereas 40% of women said the same. Older adults were more likely than younger adults to say they slept better with a partner (52% vs. 39%).

Perhaps not surprisingly, those who are in a relationship and live with their partner say they sleep better with their significant other (66%), while most of those who are single say they sleep better alone (72%).

Care to cuddle?

Cuddling in bed seems to be something people either love or they don’t. About half of survey respondents said they enjoyed cuddling a great deal or a lot, which means half fell into the “some,” “very little” or “not at all categories.” More men than women said they greatly enjoy cuddling (32% vs. 22%), while twice as many women as men report they do not like cuddling at all (14% vs. 7%).

Despite having mixed reviews, cuddling got points for reducing stress and anxiety, and more than half of respondents said it improves cardiovascular health, improves the immune system and helps ease chronic pain. The emotional benefits seem to be even greater. More than 80% said snuggling with their partner makes them happy and helps them feel emotionally close to their significant other. And 61% said they sleep better when they’re cuddling a partner. Interestingly, men were more likely than women to agree with the statements “cuddling makes me happy” (88% vs. 80%), “cuddling helps me feel emotionally close to a partner” (90% vs. 78%) and “I sleep better when I’m cuddling a partner” (70% vs. 53%).

The sex question

Mattresses are supposed to be reserved for sleep and sex. So, how often are consumers having sex?

According to the survey, one in three adults are having sex one or more times a week. Younger adults are more than twice as likely as older adults to report having sex weekly or more (48% vs. 19%).

Four in 10 adults who are in a relationship and live with a partner say they have sex at least once a week — typically one to three times a week. Sixteen percent of single adults say they have sex at least weekly.

When asked, “If you had an extra hour in your day, what would you most want to do with that time,” 17% said they would want to spend it with their family, 15% said they would want to have sex and 13% said they would want to sleep.

The overarching goal of all BSC research is to inform the communication strategy of the industry, and to educate consumers about the health benefits of sleeping on a quality mattress and the importance of regular mattress replacement.