You may think that everyone likes to spoon, but half of British couples choose to turn their backs on their lovers when the lights go out. This is according to a new sleep survey from a national hotel chain, which asked customers what helps them get a good night’s sleep. 46% of respondents admitted they turned away, and one quarter even said they can’t bear for their partner to touch them.
Relationship psychologist Corrine Sweet explained that sleeping habits can reveal stresses and strains in a relationship. ‘During sleep, you cannot fake your body language,’ she said. ‘This is the time when you are honest, vulnerable and your sleeping position can reveal a lot about your relationship.’ The survey revealed that over half of adults believe they could tell if their partner was cheating on them, just by their partner’s sleeping position.
18% of couples slept in the “cherish” position, or back to back but touching. Sweet said that this is a popular position in a new relationship and couples who sleep this way are comfortable, intimate and relaxed with each other. When couples are used to each other and accept each other’s sleeping habits, Sweet noted that they often move to the “liberty” position – back to back, and completely separate. 28% of couples sleep like this, and still feel connected but are independent enough to sleep separately.
When it came to spooning, 13% of couples slept as male spoons with the female on the inside and Sweet said this is a traditional position, in which the male takes the lead and protects his lover. This tends to be the position adopted by couples during the first few years of their relationship, demonstrating both a strong sexuality and feeling of security in the relationship. 5% of couples spooned the other way around, showing a protective instinct in the female.
Finally, sleeping face-to-face was the choice of 7% of couples, which Sweet commented represents an intimate need for one-to-one contact and conversation in bed. Those who did so with their legs intertwined, known as “The Lovers”, represented 4% of everyone surveyed, and shows that you cannot bear to be separated as each moment together counts.
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