When you’re there, I sleep lengthwise… and when you’re gone, I sleep diagonal in my bed.”—Phish
All my life, it never occurred to me that I might not make for a good bedfellow. I have obviously shared the bed with a few people in my day (boyfriends, lovers, friends, etc.) but I never realized that I am a bit of a bed hog. Or at least, it’s never been pointed out to me before. Last weekend, I realized I’m an offensive sleeper.
Not only do I steal the covers, I toss, I turn, and I keep poor Bryan awake in the process. There’s usually at least one point in the evening where he chokes on a mouthful of my hair, too. Sunday night, after a day spent at a farm in New Jersey, I took off my glasses, shut off the light on the nightstand, and we settled into our usual places. I know I was asleep at some point in the evening but I just couldn’t get comfortable.
“Can you move your leg?”
“Hey, I’m just going to rotate…”
“I’m sorry, my arm’s going limp.”
Yes. I’m THAT sleeper. The one who can’t just lie there and stay still; I insist on burdening Bryan with my bad bed habits.
At 4 in the morning, he had finally had enough and he asked if I’d like to join him downstairs for a breath of fresh air. With eyes hung over from sleep deprivation and still wearing our pajamas, Bryan and I made small chat and managed to laugh about our morning misfortune.
But I’m not so sure I’d be so jolly if he had kept me from getting my beauty sleep.
Most nights I go to sleep alone. It usually takes me some time to get comfortable but I can usually sleep soundly when I do eventually succumb to REM. I love snuggling with Bryan but I wonder if anyone else encounters the same problem when sharing a bed. In theory it’s beautiful; when put into practice, the art of spooning becomes problematic.
Once we returned to the comfort of a warm apartment, we did manage to sleep like babies until the alarm hit 6. It wasn’t the best way to greet a Monday morning to say the least.
Have you ever had to adjust your sleeping habits to accommodate for a plus one in the bed (this goes for furry friends, too!)?
Oh yes! It’s a struggle!
Seriously Charlotte, are we twins separated at birth or something? I am the same way. I feel so bad for Izzy. I insist on making sure the covers are just so. I get frustrated if anything’s out of order. I ask him to move all over the place so I’M comfortable. And then when I’m sleeping I practically fight with him with all the moving around I do. I’m surprised I haven’t seriously hurt him yet.
Once when I was a kid my family stayed in a hotel – my mom and I shared a bed and my brother and dad shared a bad. In the middle of the night I was doing my usual tossing and turning and I ended up punching my mom. And giving her a black eye.
Yeah.
I’m not a good bed sharer, and neither is my husband. The two of us together is a disaster waiting to happen.
….but at least I don’t snore. The same can NOT be said of my husband.
I used to fall asleep on my stomach and not move for eight hours. Now I have to contend with Husband and the girls. Melodie isn’t so bad; she just curls up in a little ball at my feet. Mandie is part dachshund, though, and has to be under the covers between you legs. And Husband manages to have at least one body part on me at all times. Needless to say, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a little over three years (except for the two nights I was out of town on business, that was glorious!!).
hahaha, this was entertaining. I remember when I was a kid on sleep overs with my best girl friend, she did all of the above things so maybe I became overly conscious of my bed habits. I now seem to hang off the edge of the bed when sharing it with someone – it makes for good humor.
But I’m glad you guys had a laugh about it – maybe in time, you’ll settle into a sound bed routine. For Bryan’s sake. haha 🙂
ABsolutely!! I’m 10 years into sharing a bed, and we still make adjustments. I like snuggling, but that is seperate from sleeping. I can’t be touched while I’m going to sleep, it keeps me awake. I’m very particular about my bed space, which probably makes me a poor bedfellow LOL
I don’t think I’m the kicker or cover hogger, but I have no desire to share a bed now. I simply don’t want to be touched or be concerned about waking anyone up. The last time I had a short term sleep over buddy those were the longest nights, the voices in my head screamed “GET OUT!!!!!!” – well maybe it was because of him but he was all snuggly and I was like, okay, services completed, please leave. I don’t even use the whole bed now, and I like it that way. Still Sleeping on My Side of the Bed http://wp.me/p1sXPw-a1
Seriously, this issue is one of the reasons why I shy away from relationships. It’s nice that I have kids as an excuse for not having sleepovers, if/when I date anyone.
I’ve gotten used to sharing the bed with the mister after numerous years, but when kids crawl into bed? NO SLEEP, UGH. They’re too wiggly!
Please, I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in over 18 years.
My husband snores: and doesn’t believe it. Even when confront with video’d evidence, he blames it on “fatigue.”
Good luck, sweet thing.
Now you know why they call it beauty sleep.
Because it’s beautiful when you can get it.
What a great post; I cannot relate as I just hate to sleep by myself 🙂 I rather but up with a bed hogging co-sleeper than sleep alone 🙂
I sleep with my kids – all three of them! In a queen bed! A lot of time I end up with my head at the foot of the bed so we can fit better – I never have the heart to send them to their rooms. Besides, I love the snuggle!
Going through this right now… someone has an extreme snoring problem and it isn’t me! On the rare occasion we get to spend the entire night in one bed, someone, usually me, ends up moving to another room. Someone will be getting a sleep study done! *I’d type a smiley face, except it’s kind of not funny!*
Over the years, my husband has grown into a horrible snorer. I mean, obscene! Some nights, I move up to the couch to go back to the sleep. But despite the snoring, I still choose him over any other sleeping partners!
I wish Bryan luck!
🙂
Traci
I usually do okay when it comes to sharing a bed with my boyfriend. I tend to take awhile to get comfortable, but it never seems to bother him.
The hubs and I have been dreaming of a king size bed for 3 years now and are still saving up. Just because of our size differential I usually get stuck with 1/3 of the bed and he gets stuck with my tossing and turning. Still, 3 years later, sleeping in an empty bed isn’t so easy for me anymore. Go figure.
When I was dating a guy in college, he told me I was the hardest person to sleep next to in the world. I would thrash, I run hot, and I talked in my sleep. I think I’ve gotten better, but Match says I’m still as hot as a tail pipe. He loves it in the winter. And now that I’m pregnant again, sleeping can be a challenge. We also don’t sleep next to each other when he’s gone for work, so on his first night back it’s always an adjustment. We typically cuddle for a little bit before bed, then roll to our respective sides. I like to at least touch his arm during the night, but that’s all he can handle of my hotness. Pun most definitely intended! 😉
Yes! I have had to learn to share the blanket with my husband. According to him, I am a blanket hog. We’ve been together 12+ years now and we’re still adjusting! 🙂
I like my pillows just so, get hot, then cold, and I have been given the nickname ‘Princess and the Pea’ lovingly by my sweet husband.