Bed sharing 'drains men's brains'

[PhineasFreak]

Sharing a bed with someone could temporarily reduce your brain power - at least if you are a man - Austrian scientists suggest.
When men spend the night with a bed mate their sleep is disturbed, whether they make love or not, and this impairs their mental ability the next day.

The lack of sleep also increases a man's stress hormone levels.

According to the New Scientist study, women who share a bed fare better because they sleep more deeply.

Sleepless nights

Professor Gerhard Kloesch and colleagues at the University of Vienna studied eight unmarried, childless couples in their 20s.

Each couple was asked to spend 10 nights sleeping together and 10 apart while the scientists assessed their rest patterns with questionnaires and wrist activity monitors.

The next day the couples were asked to perform simple cognitive tests and had their stress hormone levels checked.
Although the men reported they had slept better with a partner, they fared worse in the tests, with their results suggesting they actually had more disturbed sleep.

Both sexes had a more disturbed night's sleep when they shared their bed, Professor Kloesch told a meeting of the Forum of European Neuroscience.

But women apparently managed to sleep more deeply when they did eventually drop off, since they claimed to be more refreshed than their sleep time suggested.

Their stress hormone levels and mental scores did not suffer to the same extent as the men.

But the women still reported that they had the best sleep when they were alone in bed.

Bed sharing also affected dream recall. Women remembered more after sleeping alone and men recalled best after sex.

Separate beds

Dr Neil Stanley, a sleep expert at the University of Surrey, said: "It's not surprising that people are disturbed by sleeping together.

"Historically, we have never been meant to sleep in the same bed as each other. It is a bizarre thing to do.

"Sleep is the most selfish thing you can do and it's vital for good physical and mental health.

"Sharing the bed space with someone who is making noises and who you have to fight with for the duvet is not sensible.

"If you are happy sleeping together that's great, but if not there is no shame in separate beds."

He said there was a suggestion that women are pre-programmed to cope better with broken sleep.

"A lot of life events that women have disturb sleep - bringing up children, the menopause and even the menstrual cycle," he explained.

But Dr Stanley added people did get used to sharing a bed.

"If they have shared their bed with their partner for a long time they miss them and that will disturb sleep."

BBC NEWS | Health | Bed sharing 'drains men's brains'

damn you women, draining my brain - i knew it was all your fault!

[sAKEN~]

Originally Posted by PhineasFreak

When men spend the night with a bed mate their sleep is disturbed, whether they make love or not, and this impairs their mental ability the next day.

Hmm.. I will say that the posibillity that I will sleep with one of my male friends, in same bed, its lower than having an aeroplane crash down in my house.

[lilacfairy]

Originally Posted by sAKEN~

Hmm.. I will say that the posibillity that I will sleep with one of my male friends, in same bed, its lower than having an aeroplane crash down in my house.

at the moment maybe. but I'm sure that'll change in a few years

I think I sleep less deeply, when I'm with someone, but it doesn't bother me much. what they say in the article is probably right: women can cope better with disturbances because of the childcare aspect.

the funny thing is: my last boyfriend had the habit of saying stuff like "cold", "thirsty" etc. in the middle of the night. and even though I was asleep I reacted automatically to it. either I put the covers back over him, or passed him the water bottle, that was next to the bed. I didn't even remember it the next day!
so, sharing a bed with someone can't really be that bad, guys! (not to mention the obvious benefits )

[Dustwave]

My sleeping pattern (or rather lack thereof) is a big mess anyway, but what i can say for sure is that i can't sleep alone. I just got used to sleeping together i guess
It's just nice and warm to cuddle up under the covers...besides, watching someone you love sleep is indescribably beautiful

[bobbias]

Originally Posted by Dustwave

My sleeping pattern (or rather lack thereof) is a big mess anyway

Same here.

Originally Posted by Dustwave

besides, watching someone you love sleep is indescribably beautiful

Agreed.

[Drigh]

Wow! This is so true. I slept 10 hours with my girlfriend last night, and when I got home today I had to take a nap because I couldn't concentrate on my school work.

Originally Posted by sAKEN~

Hmm.. I will say that the posibillity that I will sleep with one of my male friends, in same bed, its lower than having an aeroplane crash down in my house.

Either the point of the article flew WAY over your head or you are desperately trying to convince us your not gay.

[*weasel*]

that's just an excuse for men's already impaired mental ability!!

[gh0zt]

When you sleep in close proximity to other people it is possible to share dreams.

[The Rush]

Solution: all women should sleep in the same bed. All men should sleep alone.

Everybody's happy

Guess getting kicked to the couch for the night is good thing

[Dustwave]

Originally Posted by t r a n c e . o h m

Solution: all women should sleep in the same bed. All men should sleep alone.

Everybody's happy

Guess getting kicked to the couch for the night is good thing

As long as all those women are indeed in the same bed, and the couch has a good view over the bed...yeah that's not bad at all

[AlphaZulu]

eh..I question the reliability of this said "report" or whatever the hell you wanna call it.

Professor Gerhard Kloesch and colleagues at the University of Vienna studied eight unmarried, childless couples in their 20s.

That alone gives it away. of course they're gonna have trouble sleeping together. Not like they've done it for years. If they were to take a couple that was happily married for 60 years I'm the results would've proven otherwise.

[Bendek]

good I dont like to sleep with others, I like to sleep alone