We like to think of TV couples in the 50s going to sleep in separate beds, but throughout history, people have slept together—and not frequently for sexual reasons.
Space was often a premium in recent centuries. From small adobe cottages to one-room log cabins to tiny Industrial Revolution city apartments, poverty and modest means have always bred necessary familiarity. Families usually slept in one bed. So did friends or co-workers (as a travelling lawyer, Abraham Lincoln was known to sleep in the same bed as his male colleagues—which was completely normal for the time).
Sleeping in separate beds was a complete luxury.
But these days, there’s somewhat of a stigma in not sleeping in the same bed.
The main issue is if you’re not sleeping in the same bed, the perception is you’re not having sex and people are afraid to admit to sleeping apart,” Crespi says. “I’ve seen it be problematic and not problematic. And a lot really depends on what is going on in the relationship.
This stigma is unfounded, as sometimes people simply sleep better, apart.
One partner may have to wake up earlier for work. Another may be a “cover hog”. And if your bedmate snores—sleep may be uncomfortably elusive.
she’s clearly enjoying this
While there’s a feeling of protection and security that causes us to bunk up together, the fact remains that people get a better night’s sleep when they sleep alone.
And of course—more well-slept people means happier people.