# Couples, which side of the bed do you sleep on? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 23, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699 "2004-05-23T22:32:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/21 "2004-05-24T04:09:32Z")
When Gunny and I have occasion to share a bed (which is not nearly often enough), I sleep on his right. Which is kind of odd, because if we’re spooning or using a bed for purposes other than sleeping, we lie the opposite way (me on his left). I don’t know why this is. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/22 "2004-05-24T04:22:36Z")
On our backs, I sleep on Ardred’s right. In his old apartment, the bed was up against the wall, and he slept on that side. It became habit, and it’s very difficult to sleep the other way. I get the right 2/3 of the bed, and he gets the left 1/3. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/23 "2004-05-24T04:50:03Z")
I sleep on the side away from the wall. I blame chivalry and the long drop from narrow college dorm beds. I can’t _wait_ until I have a real bed. ---
**Author:** ![LuckyMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@LuckyMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LuckyMe)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/24 "2004-05-24T05:30:17Z")
**Luckyher** sleeps to my left. The original reason why is because when we first started dating we had the the ole alarm clocck issue. Now, we just do it out of habit. > [@Zjestika](#): > > I’m right handed, but groping-ambidextrous. Are men really less adroit when they fondle with their left? > > ZJ No…Well, atleast not I. ---
**Author:** ![LuckyMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@LuckyMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LuckyMe)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/25 "2004-05-24T05:31:22Z")
Left? No, my right. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/26 "2004-05-24T05:47:18Z")
What I’d always heard was that in _parenting_ couples the woman sleeps on the side that is nearer the door, the better to make a quick dash into a screaming baby’s room. Or maybe the better to be the one awoken by a kid who wanders in at 5:30 AM demanding breakfast? Either way I can attest that I do indeed sleep on the door side of the bed, in this case on my husband’s right. Twiddle ---
**Author:** ![RindaRinda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dfb087/32.png) [@RindaRinda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RindaRinda)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/27 "2004-05-24T06:03:28Z")
Right or left, I don’t care, but I _must_ sleep against the wall. Between me and the wall there must be a body pillow. There must be another pillow (a flat one) between my head pillow and the headboard, and another flat pillow between my head pillow and the wall. Then, a smaller “hug” pillow for holding, propping up elbows, etc. My husband and I have two separate sheets and two separate blankets on the bed to avoid blanket wars. ---
**Author:** ![WILLASS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/54ee81/32.png) [@WILLASS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WILLASS)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/28 "2004-05-24T08:13:45Z")
I always wind up sleeping where the wet patch is… I usually sleep against the wall clutching a fragment of duvet and shivering - my missus is one of those ‘roly-poly’ sleeping types who gradually turns over and over throughout the night until she is bundled up and I am cold and miserable. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/29 "2004-05-24T10:17:35Z")
Interesting… It’s fun learning about other people’s foibles! Most people seem to be basing answers on alarm clocks, phones, walls and doors, rather than a preference for any side of the bed in particular. irishfella likes to fling various limbs over me in his sleep, preferring to sleep half under and half over the duvet. We don’t have blanket wars, as I get as much as I want, plus a large, heavy man pinning me to the bed… it can be a little claustrophobic, but it’s cosy. Incidentally, when I’m not there he spreads starfish-like over the entire bed, while when I have it to myself I stick to my own side. Keep it coming! ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/30 "2004-05-24T10:50:49Z")
In my case, the groping theory works, since I always sleep on my boyfriend’s left. He’s right-handed while I’m left-handed, so the groping arrangement works perfectly regardless of who’s spooning who. However, we ended up sleeping this way (i) because I prefer to sleep on my right-hand side and (ii) I prefer to be the spooner rather than spoonee (he’s heavier than me and somehow manages to _lean_ on my ribcage when he’s spooning me.) > [@jastu](#): > > I know some couples where the man sleeps closest to the bedroom door, supposedly for protection. I try that line too, but the BF reckons no burglar is going to be scared by a short-sighted naked man with bed hair. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/31 "2004-05-24T12:58:32Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > I’ve noticed that irishfella and I, his 2 sisters and their husbands and both sets of our parents sleep with the woman on the man’s left side. All the members of these couples are right handed. > > My WAG is that when a right-handed straight couple are spooning (usually with the guy behind) it makes sense to have their right hands free, for the groping, cuddling and what-not. > > Obviously I pulled my theory straight out of the air and as it’s based on a small sample group is seriously flawed. 🙂 > > So, who sleeps where in your bed, and is there any reason you can think of for your arrangement? > > Help me get to the bottom of this! Female, on the right side – between Mr. Kalhoun and the wall. This arrangement will do for now, but as I age, it will be increasingly difficult to climb over him to get out. ---
**Author:** ![j\_sum1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@j\_sum1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_sum1)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/32 "2004-05-24T13:18:41Z")
Well, there’s always the biblical method: **Song of Songs 2:6** , which would have him on the right and her on the left. Yeah, look it up. You know you want to. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/33 "2004-05-24T13:41:50Z")
The Lovely and Talented Mrs. **Shodan** sleeps to my right. There isn’t any particular reason. The phone is on my side, but that is effect, not cause. We are shopping for a new bed, and when we get it, she wants to change sides. Can’t remember her rationale, but it doesn’t matter to me. She can have whatever side she wants, if she promises not to steal the covers. A promise she has yet to keep in twenty-two years. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/34 "2004-05-24T14:36:13Z")
I sleep on the side nearest the bathroom. I’m more likely to need to get up and pee in the night. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/35 "2004-05-24T14:58:01Z")
I sleep on my wife’s left. The reason is more prosaic than romantic - she has a bladder the size of this dot “.” and has to get up several times during the night to go to the bathroom. She’s nearest the bathroom door in whatever bed we sleep in. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/36 "2004-05-24T15:31:49Z")
I usually sleep on the right side of the bed. Both my husband and I are right-handed. I generally sleep on the right for a couple of reasons: most importantly, because I’ve got a tiny bladder and that door is closest to the hall leading to the bathroom, and also because I’m usually the first out of bed in the morning, and the non-squeaky door (we’ve got two to the bedroom - one to the hall and the other to the sunroom) is closer to the right side of the bed than the left. As for groping, he seems to do just fine with his left hand. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/37 "2004-05-24T15:39:27Z")
I sleep to the Mr. Del’s right. This started because of where our alarm was – I get up earlier for work, so it seemed to make sense that I be able to reach the clock. However, we got a new bedroom set that required some furniture rearranging, and I am still on the right even though the alarm clock has moved. I guess we just got used to it. I am also a restless sleeper, and if I go to bed early by myself, I roll quite a bit and could very well end up on “his” side of the bed. I find it rather odd that when he comes in to find me like this, he’ll push me over rather than just get in on the other side. Fortunately, it doesn’t wake me up, so I’m not complaining too much. I personally would just take whatever side of the bed was vacant at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/38 "2004-05-24T16:26:40Z")
We don’t have a ‘side of the bed.’ We just sleep on which ever side of the bed we end up on. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/39 "2004-05-24T17:36:33Z")
We used to have three different places to choose from for sleeping: the upstairs bedroom (usually in the winter), the futon in the living room (summertime, as it’s directly under a ceiling fan), or the bed in what is now the guest room (hot summer nights – air conditioner). We realized that no matter where we slept, I was always on the NORTH side of the bed. Figure that one out if you can. Now that we have declared the new guest room off-limits to ourselves, we’ve been trying to limit ourselves to the upstairs bedroom for propriety’s sake. (Kind of sloppy to have a bed in your living room!) There you can identify my side by the dangerously high stacks of books. When we sleep away from home (motel, someone’s house), I choose the side where I have a place to put my glasses. All other things equal, I have no preference and neither does Mr. S. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699/40 "2004-05-24T18:45:05Z")
Having married a woman with children from a previous marriage, we always slept with her closer to the door so that she could deal with nightmares and such from the kids. This so happens to be with her to my right. We will generally spoon with both of us on our left side and her behind me, until either we fall asleep or one of us needs to change position. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couples-which-side-of-the-bed-do-you-sleep-on/246699.md?page=3)