Posted on Apr 14, 2014

You may be tempted to think that a fight with your spouse began because one of you woke up on the wrong side of the bed. But there could be more to that sentiment than meets the eye. The side of the bed you wake up on could actually reveal the success of your relationship.

According to a UK study, you may be able to predict divorce based on how you and your partner sleep. Research teams at the University of Hertfordshire who studied 500 couples discovered that people who maintain physical contact while asleep were more satisfied with the state of their relationship than others.

Does Sleeping Position Really Predict Divorce?

The study’s results present evidence that, no matter which direction they faced or how long contact lasted, couples who touched each other while sleeping reported being happier in their relationship than others:

  • 94 percent of couples who slept touching each other said that they were happy with their relationships.
  • Only 68 percent of couples who didn’t touch or slept apart said that they were happy with their partner.
  • 12 percent of couples slept with less than an inch away from their partners; of these, 86 percent reported being happy.
  • Only 66 percent of couples who slept more than 30 inches apart said that they were happy in their relationship.
  • 42 percent of couples choose to sleep back-to-back, 31 percent slept facing the same direction, and only 4 percent slept facing each other.
  • Touch was linked to increased happiness no matter which way the couples faced.

While there is no definitive link between divorce and sleeping habits, the study does suggest that physical distance in a couple can be an indicator of the emotional distance between the two people. If a couple sleeps together all night without touching, it could be a sign of a larger problem within the relationship.

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Molly B. Kenny
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Divorce and Child Custody Attorney Serving Bellevue and Seattle Washington