Improved sleep duration and efficiency: Research shows us that sleeping next to a partner is linked to increased sleep duration, higher sleep efficiency, and better sleep quality overall. 2 Getting a good night's sleep helps reduce stress and boosts restorative functions.
Spending time in bed with your partner— not just being asleep in bed— can help keep your mental health on the up and up. Being in bed with your partner when bedtime rolls around can help reduce stress and anxiety, improve your self-esteem, and help increase communication between you and your partner.
Reduces anxiety
It is believed that skin-to-skin contact while in bed can reduce anxiety and therefore, aid a better nights rest. Often, light sleepers will benefit from having their partner dozing off next to them as this brings a sense of safety and security while at their most vulnerable.
But how much sex should couples really be having? Research has shown that couples who have sex at least once a week are happier than their less-bedded counterparts. (A caveat: Happiness levels don't rise with more time spent under the sheets.) Still, that number doesn't quite apply for everyone.
It's Good for You and Your Relationship. Sleeping with a partner promotes better sleep which can keep your relationship going strong. Spending hours in bed with your true love is one of the best things you can do with one another.
Dr Patel says: “Sleep is so important to us, and not getting enough of it can lead to poor mental and physical health. For some couples, sleeping apart can be the best thing for their relationship.” Some studies have shown that more couples who live together are choosing to sleep apart.
It's normal for couples to sleep in separate beds from time to time, like when one of you is travelling, suffering a bout of illness, or has a habit of nodding off on the couch.
The co-sleeping effect seems to be strongest when a person is sleeping next to a partner whom they love or with whom they otherwise have a positive relationship. “We've found in our research that happily married women sleep better than those who are un-partnered or unhappily married,” says Dr. Troxel.
Intimacy
This is one of the major reasons why couples who don't sleep together should do their best to remedy this. Under normal circumstances, going to bed at the same time helps build that deep emotional and physical connection (intimacy) with your partner.
Although more research is needed, experts believe pleasant touch from a loved one may stimulate release of the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin is believed to promote social bonding and relieve anxiety. Gentle touch can also alleviate symptoms of stress and depression, which may be helpful if stress keeps you awake at night.
Bedtime couple intimate activities include cuddling, massaging, kissing, and making love. Sleeping habits are also essential for couples, and couples should lie down together whenever possible.
Touching or being around your loved one releases the “love hormone” oxytocin, which promotes sleep and can make you feel drowsy. Being with your partner makes you feel safe and secure, both emotionally and physically. This makes you feel relaxed and makes it easier to fall asleep.
Much like washing your hair, you don't need to have sex as often as you think—at least according to a 2015 study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, which suggests any amount over once a week is simply overkill, especially if you're not feeling it.
'Sharing a bed may also reduce cytokines, involved in inflammation, and boost oxytocin, the so-called love hormone that is known to ease anxiety and is produced in the same part of the brain responsible for the sleep-wake cycle, suggested the WSJ.
“When you fall asleep in close proximity to someone, being jostled or bumped can trigger a desire for sex that you act on, though you're asleep,” Mangan says. Some researchers cite drugs and alcohol as a cause of sexsomnia. Fatigue and stress also are considered likely causes.
Sleeping apart is more common than one might think: One in five couples sleep in separate bedrooms, and almost two thirds of those who do, do so every night, according to a January survey of 2,200 Americans conducted by the International Housewares Association for The New York Times.
Couples of all types — straight, gay, young, old, healthy couples or those facing illness — experience all sorts of challenges when it comes to the shared sleep experience. Over 60 percent of us are sleeping together, according to one study done in the US.
Over a third of Americans are "sleep-divorced," or sleep in separate beds. Sleeping in different rooms can improve sleep quality and make you miss each other more. A therapist shares how to tell if it's right for you and how to broach the topic with a partner.
Sleeping next to someone can also help promote deep REM sleep. Emotionally, sleeping next to someone means reduced anxiety, a sense of safety, improved sleep quality, and increased happiness. Sleeping next to someone can also create a stronger relationship bond.
Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners.
“When you're at ease and in love with your partner, your body releases feel good hormones, mainly dopamine and serotonin,” wrote Kim at Slumber and Smile. “The secretion of hormones can cause you to feel more tired and sleepy than normal, and you may even fall asleep faster.”
The marriage first night is about creating memories and not what was done. There's no rule that you need to be intimate on your first night together. Rather, break the ice and get to know each other first. That's what you would anyways remember about this day years down the line.
They Spend Time Hanging Out (Quietly)
As Rubin suggests, you could also try meditating near each other for ten to 30 minutes before bed, as another way of being together without having to talk.
Touch each other gently and sensually, paying close attention to how that feels. Speak softly to one another and let your emotions show through in your words. Once you've gotten a hand on how to be romantic in bed, experiment! There are many ways to express yourself sexually without saying a word.
Sharing a bed is the ultimate intimacy and research suggests that sleeping close and cuddling increases oxytocin (the 'love' hormone) which helps to lower stress hormones, making you feel calmer and encourages feelings of safety and security – leading to less interrupted sleep.