Move More to Sleep Longer
Fancy Photography/Veer
Are you having trouble sleeping? A new Australian study recommends three remedies: hot yoga, hot sex, and a hot shower (the yoga doesn't have to be hot, but it sounds better that way, doesn't it?). Yoga is by far the most successful sleep inducer, as it can increase your slumber time by up to 64 minutes. Sex and hot showers both only increase sleep time by six minutes, so if you're a real insomniac, it helps to roll out that yoga mat daily -- I can attest to this myself, being a very heavy and sound sleeper who heads to the yoga studio three times a week.
But sometimes, even if you're doing everything right, your beloved partner can ruin your sleep. Here are a few common ways this can happen in a relationship, plus tips and tricks that can help.
1. Snoring
According to a new study by pharmaceutical brand Nytol for National Stop Snoring Week, 41% of snorers experience nightly problems with their partners, such as tussling and getting rolled over because of the noise they're making. On top of that, 27% of them often feel grumpy in the morning while 21% are frequently exhausted. YourTango blogger Samantha Escobar used some creative techniques to deal with her snoring partners. "I have consistently dated snorers, often very heavy ones, and have never known exactly what to do about it." she writes. "I just had to ensure I either fell asleep first or put a bit of music on to drown out the sounds." If the snoring persists, you might want to get checked (or have him checked for) sleep apnea, a potentially serious, but treatable sleep disorder that can cause snoring and heavy breathing.
2. Getting turned on.
"I have a hard time cuddling without getting aroused and then all fidgety," says 33-year-old New Yorker Kelly (name changed) of sleeping with her boyfriend of eight months. "It's sometimes better to fall asleep side-by-side instead of cuddling if I want to sleep, or I'll keep both of us up with incessant groping. Or, he distracts me."
3. Light Sleepers.
"And he's a light sleeper," Kelly continues. "I swear he sleeps with one eye open. If I get up to pee, I always wake him up. But I kind of like it because it gives me an opportunity for more 'cuddle-groping'. But then I feel bad if he has to work in the morning." These two might want to try doing yoga before bed together to fall into a deeper slumber.
4. Different schedules.
"I'm a total lark and my fiance, is, well, not, so I wake up early to make breakfast and greet the day," says YourTango blogger Mona Lisa Macalino. "It works out well!" She also suggests the following: "If your guy comes home when you're already sleeping (or vice versa), have him change in another room so he won't wake you. Nothing sucks more than trying to fall asleep for the second time in one night!"
5. Hogging the covers.
Your partner -- presumably in his sleep -- wraps the entire blanket around himself, so that you wake up cold (and angry). You try to wrestle at least a tiny bit of the blanket away, but of course he's asleep and you don't want to wake him. Sound familiar? Mona Lisa suggests: "Have your own blankets, especially if one of you tends to roll around. It's no fun waking up in the middle of the night cold and blanket-less." You can have one big blanket for cuddle time and two smaller ones, to keep both of you happy.
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