The pros and cons of solo slumber
<p>Beds are no longer just places we rest after a hard day slogging away in the fields: they’re sites for reading, dreaming, movie-watching and all manner of activities beyond the seven-to-eight-recommended-hours of sleep that they’re made for.</p>
<p>A big bed means plenty of room for you and others, but as nice as it is to snuggle in with a loved one or pet, you may find yourself wondering if bigger isn’t necessarily better.</p>
<p>A study by the University of Leeds and Silentnight found that 29 per cent of people surveyed reported sleep quality poor due to tossing-and-turning partners, and that it affected their health and work the next day.</p>
<p>If that’s not concerning enough, consider this: a study by University Hospital Case Medical Centre in Ohio found that a dodgy night’s sleep can give you bad skin and increase the risk of dehydration, leaving you not just cranky but crinkly!</p>
<p>Surely it stands to reason, then, that the obvious answer is to live it up like Lucy and Desi and get separate, single beds… right?</p>
<p>Think about it: in a single bed, there’s room for you and only you. No sleepovers with friends, no partners to stake out mattress real estate from, not even room for Puss or Fido to curl up (at least, not without the real possibility they may be accidentally booted off during an especially energetic dream).</p>
<p>Well, not quite.</p>
<p>See, as much as a single bed might seem like a handy deterrent to overcrowding (don’t tell Bob Marley), it turns out that for all the occasional complaints about sheet-stealing, snoring, and 3am alarms set for international sports broadcasts, the benefits of sleeping with a partner or a pet far outweigh the negatives.</p>
<p>Studies have shown that getting a good night’s sleep together helps couples get along with each other during waking hours. What’s more, research into co-sleeping has found that sharing a bed with someone else can lower cortisol, aka “the stress hormone”, reduce cytokine-related inflammation (which can lead to heart disease and other disorders), and give you a hefty dose of oxytocin, which can reduce anxiety, boost empathy and generosity, and help couples bond.</p>
<p>Living the single life? Don’t worry: a BBC2 documentary found that dogs and cats also produce oxytocin when spending time with their human friends. The study was vague enough about where that quality time occurred that we’re willing to bet that “letting the dog sleep on the bed” also counts as an oxytocin-booster for both parties.</p>
<p>So whether your bed-mate is human or animal, and whether your mattress is a custom-made Brangelina giant or something a little more plebeian (or even if you caved in and downgraded to a single), sharing a bed is good for you. Turns out that old song <em>Ten In the Bed</em> wasn’t so much a childhood nursery rhyme as it was a guide to healthy living. </p>
<p><em>Written by Clem Bastow. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.domain.com.au" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Domain.com.au. </span></strong></a></em></p>
