What your sleep position REALLY says about the strength of your relationship (and it’s bad news if you favour back-to-back)
Every sleeping position reveals a lot about the strength and maturity of a relationship, according to experts
LOVE is in the air, and come bedtime tonight couples up and down the land will be snuggling up together.
A recent study has revealed that around 17 per cent of us – that’s nine million Brits - sleep better when our partner is tucked up beside us, but have you ever wondered what the way you nod off together says about your compatibility as a couple?
Angela Crouch, sleep expert at said: "How a couple fall asleep and the positions they adopt, speaks volumes about the health of their relationship and how well matched they are.
"There are so many benefits to sharing a bed. Couples can feel safe and secure, and physical contact causes the release of the ‘love hormone’ oxytocin which reduces stress and promotes feelings of wellbeing.
"Every sleeping position reveals a lot about the strength and maturity of a relationship."
We asked Angela to analyse four of the most common co-sleeping positions…
Back To Back
This sleeping position sends out mixed messages about the health of a couple's relationship.
The fact they aren't in physical contact, there's a significant space between them and they're turned away from one another is all classic negative body language.
While it's healthy to have personal space, consistently sleeping like this, they may see the physical distance turn into an emotional distance too.
It's important not to overlook the value of physical closeness in bed, even if it's just the occasional night when you sleep in a more connected position, or if you have some cuddles before adopting the 'back to back'.
Don't panic though if you crave your own space, if you are both secure people and have a solid relationship, it doesn't mean you're not compatible.
Just don't forget to compromise and make time for other, more intimate, sleeping positions too.
The Spoon
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to who’s the big spoon and who’s the little spoon – those roles can swap depending on what is going on in the couple’s life outside the bedroom.
The big spoon is playing the role of the protector and carer, and the little spoon is feeling vulnerable and seeking comfort.
It’s a position that’s indicative of a couple responding to one another’s needs, which reflects very positively on their relationship.
Make sure you take turns rather than one always depending on the other for comfort, balance is important is any relationship.
The Tangler
I call this the honeymoon sleeping position – it’s most common in new relationships when the couple are still in the throes of passion.
Face to face, body to body, it’s incredibly intimate and suggests not just a deep physical attraction but also trust in one another.
However, even couples in long term relationships can still be ‘tanglers’ from time to time.
On Valentines night, or celebrating an anniversary, they might switch from being ‘back to back’ sleepers to a position like this, reflecting the fact they feel very emotionally connected to one another at that time.
Don’t worry if you were once ‘tanglers’ but aren’t anymore, wanting more physical space in bed is natural the longer you’re with someone.
The Flat Out
This suggests a very relaxed, easy-going relationship which is also very honest.
This couple don’t keep secrets from one another.
They’re not clingy to one another and don’t need physical contact and reassurance in bed, but that’s no indication of the depth of their feelings for one another.
People who sleep flat on their back are known to be very open, they don’t hide their true selves and a couple who are both this personality and sleeping type will be very compatible.
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