Ditto here, we’d switched sides a few times in different houses or even after rearranging before the wife figured it out.
Well, Mrs. Bughunter and I have a uniquely-designed bedroom in that there is no side of the bed closer to the wall, or closer to the bathroom, or closer to “the door” considering that there are three doors not counting the master bath entrance…
The real reason we have arrived at the sleeping arrangment we have is the best compromise of the following:
- I can only go to sleep on my right side.
- I snore.
- I have horrible morning breath.
Therefore, I sleep to my wife’s right, so that I direct my acoustic assault away from her, and in the mornings, I am likely to be on my right side and not breathing on her.
The only odious habits she has are:
- Wearing curlers to bed, and
- Silent flatulence. Silent but deadly. Curls my hair, actually.
And it really doesn’t matter which side of the bed she’s on when she’s curling hair. Hers or mine.
I think the cuddling theory has nothing to do with it. It is a matter of what you get used to. Our first year together, we couldn’t afford a bed and slept on a sofa bed someone gave us. It was weirdly designed and had you sleep lengthwise on the couch instead of the more usual arrangement. I am taller than that couch was, so I had to sleep on the outside, which placed her on my left as I slept on my back.
When we got our first bed, we moved into an apartment too small for the bed. It was awkward to get up from “my” side to get to the bathroom, so that became my side. (I have good night vision, my wife might as well not have night vision. My bladder is several hours bigger than hers.) This placed her on my right as I slept on my back. No problems groping with my left.
When I got out of grad school, we rented our first house. It had a pathetically small bedroom, so the same logic put her on my right as I slept on my back. When we bought this house, it really didn’t matter, but she was now used to the arrangement, so she sleeps on my right (with me on my back). This also places me closer to the door, but I don’t think that matters much. She would adopt the boogeyman defense mentioned earlier, 'cause I’m more than a foot taller. The few nights we have spent in hotels, we tend to stick to that arrangement, at her preference. Except when we camp. Then I usually sleep on her right. No idea why. The tent door is right in front of both of our feets (both of our foot pairs?).
I sleep on the right side, though with as much space as my girlfriend and dog take up in the bed it would be better put that I sleep in the upper left hand corner of the bed.
I also sleep on the side with the alarm clock because I get up earlier than she does and because she sleeps like the dead.