What is the Scandinavian Sleep Method?
Jake Newby
| 3 min read
There might be a solution for those late-night wrestling matches that break out between you and your partner over the duvet.
It’s called the Scandinavian sleep method, a sleeping trend popularized by an October 2023 TikTok trend. In the viral video, Swedish influencer Cecilia Blomdahl demonstrates how the method works by folding two duvets over a bedspread separately, side by side.
“The tip here is that you have one each, which means that there is no fighting over duvets in the middle of the night” Blomdahl said, in the one-minute video. “You can also have one according to the temperature that you prefer. And if you want to cuddle with your significant other, just lift the duvet and slide on in!”
How does the Scandinavian sleep method work?
As Blomdahl illustrated, the point of the Scandinavian sleep method is for couples to share a bed without sharing the top cover, as most couples do. Instead, they sleep underneath their own single-size duvet.
Blankets and comforters can be used instead, but duvets are more common in Scandinavian countries like Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Hence the name!
What are the benefits of the Scandinavian sleep method?
The point of this practice is simple: for you and your partner to get better sleep at night. If tugging, tossing and turning is a recurring issue at night, these benefits may be enough for you to buy in:
Helps adjust for different temperatures: Normal body temperature varies from person to person and can depend on factors like age,activity and time of day. This means some of us might feel colder during the night, and some of us might feel hotter. We use our covers accordingly to manage our own body temperature.
With this method, you afford yourself the freedom to sleep with a lighter blanket, expose your torso or legs accordingly if you are hot or sleep with the blanket all the way up to your chin if you’re cold; and your partner doesn’t have to conform to the same sleep configuration.
Minimizes disruptions: According to a recent sleep survey of 2,000 Americans, 45% of women and 38% of men reported their partner waking them up as one of the main reasons they wake up in the middle of the night (having to go to the bathroom was number one for both). The Scandinavian sleep method could help cut down the disruptions if this is an issue for you.
Some of us are lighter sleepers than our partners. Some of us also go to bed at different times than our partners. Not having to worry about shifting and adjusting underneath one cover can mark one less obstacle in the way of a good night’s sleep.
Promotes a personalized sleeping experience: If you’re the “cocooning” type, for instance, and you like to completely wrap yourself up in your blanket at night, this method allows you to do it. As mentioned above, you can also choose to drape the blanket over only a portion of your body without forcing your partner to do the same.
The benefits of co-sleeping remain: A small 2022 study of 1,007 working-age adults conducted by University of Arizona researchers concluded that adults who share a bed with their partners sleep better than those who sleep alone. Their research showed that those who shared a bed with a partner most nights reported less severe insomnia, less fatigue, and more time asleep than those who said they never share a bed with a partner., while also falling asleep faster and staying asleep longer after falling asleep.
While these statistics may not ring true for everyone, couples who value bed-sharing but struggle to find peace underneath one cover can give the Scandinavian sleep method a try.
Read on:
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Photo credit: Getty Images
