What Does Your Sleeping Habit Say About Your Relationship?

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Recent psychological research carried out at the Edinburgh International Science Festival discovered an interesting fact: any change in the relationship of a loving couple immediately affects the positions that partners take in their sleep. The most important thing here is not the position in which they cuddle before going to sleep or the one that they take right after they fell asleep. The position they sleep in all night long and wake up in the morning is the only one that really matters.

Inspired by the research of Professor Richard Wiseman (University of Hertfordshire) and the work of psychologist Corinne Sweet, we at Bright Sidehave decided to create this fun guide to sleeping positions for couples that hopefully will give you a better understanding of your relationship.

The ’Honeymoon Hug’ position

This position tends to occur if the couple has just started dating or had to spend some time apart from each other.

The position is also popular among married couples if their family life is still passionate and full of tenderness and love.

The ’Dialogue’ position

This position is very common among those partners who maintain a strong connection between each other but still need to spend more time together and to communicate more often.

The ’Stargazing’ position

Both partners sleep on their backs. Usually, one person is laying on their back while the other rests their head on their partner’s shoulder, making him or her the more dependent one. This couple has great chemistry, but sometimes one of them finds it a little uncomfortable being forced to take the other one’s point of view (and in this case, position) into consideration.

The ’Sweetheart’s Cradle’ position

This position is very similar to the previous one, although it’s much more intimate. This one is very common among couples that aren’t afraid to constantly show their feelings; they’re very tender and care a lot about each other. The position typically means that the man is more bossy and domineering in the relationship.

The ’I Cherish You’ position

These couples are usually very happy and genuinely enjoy their relationships. The position reflects mutual respect of personal space. And their touching backs are more proof that it’s highly important for them to feel their partner’s presence nearby.

The ’Liberty’ position

This position may show that a couple went to bed right after they had a big fight. However, there is an alternative explanation: both partners are probably very independent, self-centered individuals who require a lot of personal space.

The ’King of the Bed’ position

Partners who tend to spread themselves all over the bed are usually those who feel the need to assert themselves rather than show their feelings to their partner. Their behavior in relationships is often very selfish, which is reflected in their sleeping habits.

The ’Spoons’ position

This position indicates harmonious and passionate relationships at the same time. The position is very popular within the first few years of marriage. The partner behind usually plays a dominant role in such relationships. The other partner, on the contrary, enjoys the feeling of being protected.

The ’Loose Spoons’ position

Couples choose a very comfortable ’spooning’ position but provide each other with more freedom. This is one of the most complicated positions with at least two possible interpretations:

1. The position reflects a relationship without passion — at least one of the partners feels this way. He or she feels no more need for any physical contact or is simply dissatisfied with his or her partner.
2. In the second case, the partner who turns their back provokes the other one into an expression of feelings and is willing to get more attention.

The ’Leg Hug’ position

The partners prefer not to sleep in close contact with each other, but they casually touch each other’s feet. Usually, couples sleeping like this share family harmony and mutual trust. They give each other freedom while keeping a small ’bridge’ to touch and feel each other even at night.

Illustrated by Ekaterina Gapanovich for BrightSide.me 

Based on materials from dailymail, medicaldaily