# Those who share a king-sized bed: how and why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 16, 2026, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314 "2026-04-16T15:25:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/1 "2026-04-16T15:25:38Z")
I’ve only ever owned queen-sized beds, which are 60 inches (152 cm) wide. My wife and I are quite comfortable in a queen bed. Our hotel rooms often have king beds (76 inches/193 cm wide). Which means that, assuming we lie at about the same distance from the edges, we are 16 inches further apart from each other. Which seems huge! Getting together to cuddle (or more) requires one or both to skootch over toward the middle, instead of just rolling over a bit. As the poet says, “I’m not the world’s most passionate guy,” but I like being closer to my lover than 16 inches. Of course, as another says, “Love conquers all,” even distances as great as 16 inches, but being with someone in a king bed feels so…remote. So tell us why you prefer your king bed. Or why you agree with me. (Try not to gush.) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/2 "2026-04-16T15:28:01Z")
It’s roomier, and that’s better for both sleep and for intimacy. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/3 "2026-04-16T15:28:20Z")
Sometimes we have three or four dogs. Sometimes we like them in the bed. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/4 "2026-04-16T15:29:56Z")
Sleep in the middle. Who cares how much room there is to the edge ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/5 "2026-04-16T15:33:44Z")
We’ve always owned a queen sized bed. My parents never had anything bigger than a double (until they moved to separate bedrooms later in their lives). The first time we had a king sized bed in a hotel, it seemed HUGE. A few years back, my husband had knee surgery - requiring a brace for a while - and I’d had wrist surgery. We realized that the extra space would have been useful. On a day to day basis though, seems like a king would be a hassle - making the bed, if nothing else. On a recent trip with a female friend, at one point the best hotel option was one with a king bed versus 2 queen or double beds. It was nice not worrying about inadvertently elbowing each other or winding up in each other’s space. I mean, I like her, but not like THAT, LOL. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/6 "2026-04-16T15:37:15Z")
We, too, have always owned a queen bed. Getting a king-sized bed isn’t an option, as it would not fit in our bedroom – at least, it woudn’t fit without getting rid of half of the other furniture. We enjoy getting a king when we travel. My wife is a woman of size, and sleeps with a body pillow; while we sleep OK in our queen at home, the additional room means that we aren’t on top of each other. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/7 "2026-04-16T15:37:32Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > On a recent trip with a female friend, at one point the best hotel option was one with a king bed versus 2 queen or double beds. It was nice not worrying about inadvertently elbowing each other or winding up in each other’s space. I mean, I like her, but not like THAT, LOL. You chose two beds? ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/8 "2026-04-16T15:38:36Z")
Because hot flashes + cats + restless sleeper = no fun at all in a smaller bed. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/9 "2026-04-16T15:38:58Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > You chose two beds? When travelling with my friend? Sure. It was only that one place where we couldn’t find a 2-bed room available. Every other night of the trip, we got rooms with 2 queen beds. At home: I’d considered getting a king sized bed at one point, because our current house has enough room, but we’d splurged on nice bedroom furniture, including a real bed frame, and that was a major investment so we’re kind of stuck with it. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/10 "2026-04-16T15:40:55Z")
Sorry, I misunderstood your post. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/11 "2026-04-16T15:42:31Z")
My wife and I have always found our queen bed perfectly adequate. But now that we have a largish dog, we are actively talking about getting a king, though it would be a tight fit in our bedroom. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/12 "2026-04-16T15:43:19Z")
There are people who _don’t_ sleep with large dogs? ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/13 "2026-04-16T15:45:21Z")
Believe it or not, there are people who only have cats. And apparently there are also people with no pets at all. And although I’ve heard of someone sleeping with the fishes, it wasn’t in a bed, either king or queen. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/14 "2026-04-16T16:03:47Z")
Yeah. It was the dog thing that created the one-and-only impulse to go from a queen to a king bed for us. But then we both realized that he’d smoosh up against one or both of us no matter what size the mattress was. [Don’t hate the player; hate the game] As Sam got older, he basically always slept at the foot of the mattress, so – kings generally not being _longer_ than queens – the minimal upside sort of disappeared. The room wasn’t really conducive to a king, either, so we never made the change. Neither my wife nor I is big-build, nor does either of us really carry any extra weight, so … I think the ‘relevance’ for us may be different from a couple where one or both are big people. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/15 "2026-04-16T16:06:12Z")
Hubby wants the middle of the bed. To minimize sleeping disruptions, we prefer our 180 cm wide bed. As we both sleep on our backs, 160 cm is a bit too cozy. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/16 "2026-04-16T16:17:50Z")
I have a European Double sized bed (200 x 140 cm), but my ambition is to get an Alaskan King (274 x 274 cm). Then I know I will have made it in life and can finally rest. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/17 "2026-04-16T16:26:52Z")
My wife and I have always had twin beds pushed together on a single king headboard. We get to have separate mattress firmnesses, separate layers of blankets, preferred sheets, etc. Easy to roll over without disturbing the other, getting up doesn’t move the other’s coverings, restless legs aren’t an issue. And we’re really not _that_ far apart. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/18 "2026-04-16T16:28:47Z")
We sleep in a queen and do okay but, in a magical world, I’d prefer a king. I’m not a super cuddly sleeper and we often go to bed at different times. If she goes first, she tend to wind up near the center of the bed, leaving me a strip on the side unless I’m going to wake her up to move. With more nighttime real estate, this wouldn’t be an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/19 "2026-04-16T16:32:00Z")
On newer versions of iOS and Android, tracking apps allow you to locate your partner on the other side of a king bed, even in the dark. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314/20 "2026-04-16T16:34:26Z")
I’m single, and I have a king sized bed. Sue me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-share-a-king-sized-bed-how-and-why/1029314.md?page=2)