The doctor Karan Rajan, surgeon and professor at the University of Sunderland (United Kingdom), made some statements a few years ago on his TikTok channel that have recently re-emerged, giving much to talk about. And it is that, according to him, sleep as a couple It’s worse for your health than sleeping alone.
We insist that it refers to sleeping with a partner. The rest of the things that two people do in bed can be better or worse for health, depending on many circumstances, but we will not get into them in this article.
Now, is it true that sleeping with a partner is not good? Depending on how you look at it. Rajan refers to the health consequences of not sleep well. And it is that, as explained in his TikTok postthere are several reasons why sleeping with another person, partner or not, can affect our sleep. If we manage to prevent this from happening, there is absolutely no problem, but it is true that sometimes it can be a bit difficult. Especially for temperature issues.
The importance of temperature to fall asleep
Sleep is regulated by circadian cycles. That is, it is a physiological activity that is repeated periodically in 24 hour cycles. Every day we get up, carry out our tasks and, at nightfall (preferably), we go back to sleep.
Circadian rhythms are regulated, among other factors, by the light. When light enters through the eyes, a series of phenomena are triggered that lead to drowsiness. The best known is the release of the hormone melatonin. But there is also another essential, which consists in the decrease in body temperature. That is why sometimes we may feel cold when we fall asleep.
When we sleep alone, it is easier to regulate our temperature to fall asleep. However, at sleep as a couple, the other person also releases heat, so it can be more difficult. That is the main and perhaps less obvious cause. The rest of the reasons why Rajan advises against sleeping with a partner are much more evident.
The obvious problems of sleeping with a partner
When sleeping with a partner, sometimes we have to deal with the snoring of the other person. also with their tossing and turningwhich can greatly complicate our sleep.
In addition, the other person may have a routine very different from ours. As a consequence, their circadian cycles will also be different, so they may still be active while we fall asleep and vice versa.
Is all this dangerous for health?
Generally, if we usually sleep with a partner, we end up getting used to it, our circadian rhythms adjust and we even become immune to snoring.
Therefore, the consequences may not be very serious. Yes, it is true that poor sleep can lead to short-term problems, such as tiredness and irritability, and in the longer term, as metabolic and cardiovascular diseases or cancer.
However, if we are going to talk about these long-term problems, lack of sleep due to shift work or work stress is much worse than sleeping with a partner. Also, sleeping hugging the person you love can sometimes be the best of anxiolytics. Each one, that assesses his case.