Q:

Do adults sleep better when they sleep alone?

Newyorker: Research studies consistently find … that adults “sleep better when given their own bed.”

Is that an accurate assessment? Do adult sleep better when they sleep alone rather than with their significant other?

A:

A limited study (Dittami 2007) concluded the following:

"Sharing a sleeping space with a partner had negative effects on sleep in women"
"The sleep efficiency in men was not reduced by the presence of their partner unless sexual contact occurred"

The study was limited because:

"Participants involved in the study had not been in couples for long periods of time"

References
DITTAMI, J., KECKEIS, M., MACHATSCHKE, I., KATINA, S., ZEITLHOFER, J. and KLOESCH, G. (2007), Sex differences in the reactions to sleeping in pairs versus sleeping alone in humans. Sleep and Biological Rhythms, 5: 271–276. doi: 10.1111/j.1479-8425.2007.00320.x

