It is the last thing we need during an exhausting pandemic: a couple interfering with our sleep.
Still, many of us are losing our eyes closed because our partner snores like a bear or sticks to the covers. It stays up to high hours of travel on the phone. He throws and turns with insomnia. Or it has a different sleep schedule to which we constantly try to adjust.
Wendy Troxel is a behavioral social scientist and senior at Rand Corp. and clinical psychologist specializing in sleep medicine. In her new book, “Sharing Covers: Each Couple’s Guide to Sleeping Better,” she explores how sleeping together affects both our sleep and our relationship.
I spoke with Dr. Troxel about how to negotiate joint sleep problems. Here are edited excerpts from this interview.
How important is sleep to a relationship?