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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Bed sharing 'bad for your health' | Bed sharing 'bad for your health' |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Couples should consider sleeping apart for the good of their health and relationship, say experts. | Couples should consider sleeping apart for the good of their health and relationship, say experts. |
| Sleep specialist Dr Neil Stanley told the British Science Festival how bed sharing can cause rows over snoring and duvet-hogging and robs precious sleep. | Sleep specialist Dr Neil Stanley told the British Science Festival how bed sharing can cause rows over snoring and duvet-hogging and robs precious sleep. |
| One study found that, on average, couples suffered 50% more sleep disturbances if they shared a bed. | One study found that, on average, couples suffered 50% more sleep disturbances if they shared a bed. |
| Dr Stanley, who sleeps separately from his wife, points out that historically we were never meant to share our beds. | Dr Stanley, who sleeps separately from his wife, points out that historically we were never meant to share our beds. |
| He said the modern tradition of the marital bed only began with the industrial revolution, when people moving to overcrowded towns and cities found themselves short of living space. | He said the modern tradition of the marital bed only began with the industrial revolution, when people moving to overcrowded towns and cities found themselves short of living space. |
| If you've been sleeping together and you both sleep perfectly well, then don't change, but don't be afraid to do something different Dr Neil Stanley class="" href="/2/hi/talking_point/8246900.stm">Read your comments | |
| Before the Victorian era it was not uncommon for married couples to sleep apart. In ancient Rome, the marital bed was a place for sexual congress but not for sleeping. | Before the Victorian era it was not uncommon for married couples to sleep apart. In ancient Rome, the marital bed was a place for sexual congress but not for sleeping. |
| Dr Stanley, who set up one of Britain's leading sleep laboratories at the University of Surrey, said the people of today should consider doing the same. | Dr Stanley, who set up one of Britain's leading sleep laboratories at the University of Surrey, said the people of today should consider doing the same. |
| "It's about what makes you happy. If you've been sleeping together and you both sleep perfectly well, then don't change, but don't be afraid to do something different. | "It's about what makes you happy. If you've been sleeping together and you both sleep perfectly well, then don't change, but don't be afraid to do something different. |
| "We all know what it's like to have a cuddle and then say 'I'm going to sleep now' and go to the opposite side of the bed. So why not just toddle off down the landing?" | "We all know what it's like to have a cuddle and then say 'I'm going to sleep now' and go to the opposite side of the bed. So why not just toddle off down the landing?" |
| Tossing and turning | Tossing and turning |
| He said poor sleep was linked to depression, heart disease, strokes, lung disorders, traffic and industrial accidents, and divorce, yet sleep was largely ignored as an important aspect of health. | He said poor sleep was linked to depression, heart disease, strokes, lung disorders, traffic and industrial accidents, and divorce, yet sleep was largely ignored as an important aspect of health. |
| Dr Robert Meadows, a sociologist at the University of Surrey, said: "People actually feel that they sleep better when they are with a partner but the evidence suggests otherwise." | Dr Robert Meadows, a sociologist at the University of Surrey, said: "People actually feel that they sleep better when they are with a partner but the evidence suggests otherwise." |
| He carried out a study to compare how well couples slept when they shared a bed versus sleeping separately. | He carried out a study to compare how well couples slept when they shared a bed versus sleeping separately. |
| Based on 40 couples, he found that when couples share a bed and one of them moves in his or her sleep, there is a 50% chance that their slumbering partner will be disturbed as a result. | Based on 40 couples, he found that when couples share a bed and one of them moves in his or her sleep, there is a 50% chance that their slumbering partner will be disturbed as a result. |
| Despite this, couples are reluctant to sleep apart, with only 8% of those in their 40s and 50s sleeping in separate rooms, the British Science Festival heard. | Despite this, couples are reluctant to sleep apart, with only 8% of those in their 40s and 50s sleeping in separate rooms, the British Science Festival heard. |