How often do you and your partner go to bed at the same time? A new survey looks at the “bedtime gap” - the amount of time between one partner going to bed and the other following - of married couples and finds that those who regularly hit the sack at the same time tend to be happier in their relationship.
The poll of 2-thousand married Americans across the country reveals that bedtime gaps are pretty common, as couples only go to their shared bed together three times during an average week.
- The average couple has an 80-minute bedtime gap several nights a week.
- But those with fewer “bedtime gaps” are more likely to be happier with their spouse, the survey suggests.
- People who report being “very happy” in their marriage tend to go to bed at the same time as their spouse four times a week, compared to just once a week for those who say they’re less than happy in their marriage.
- The same goes for couples with similar sleep patterns. Respondents who are both night owls or both early birds are more likely to report being “very happy” in their marriage than couples with one early bird and one night owl.
- So, why does it matter if partners go to bed at the same time or hours apart? More than half (58%) of those polled say they feel closer to their spouse when going to bed at the same time.
- Another 59% think sharing a bedtime helps boost intimacy.
- More than four in 10 (43%) say they sleep better when they go to bed at the same time as their other half, but 16% say their sleep improves when they go to bed at different times.
- Younger people in the survey feel it’s more important to have less of a “bedtime gap” and go to sleep together.
- Nearly two-thirds (62%) of millennials say they sleep better when sharing a bedtime with their spouse, compared to just 27% of baby boomers.
- Millennials are also more likely to report feeling closer to their spouse when going to bed at the same time, 76% say they do, compared to 41% of baby boomers.
Source: Talker