How Long Does it Take to Get Comfortable Sleeping with a Partner?

Apr 21st, 2022 •

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Every long-term relationship has major milestones. The first kiss, the first “I love you,” the first big argument (and subsequent makeup). And every one of those steps is just as important as the big moments waiting for you at the end, even if they can be a little uncomfortable at times.

Just like the first time you use the restroom in front of each other or see each other’s embarrassingly goofy side after one too many drinks, the first time you sleep over at each other’s house can be awkward.

Whether you’re worried about your morning breath, snoring in your sleep, or having to explain the potentially gawky way you like to lie in bed, every couple has been there. To prove it, we surveyed 1,000 people in relationships about how long it took them to feel comfortable spending the night with their significant other. Think you’re the only person worried about drooling in your sleep? Read on to find out.

Taking That Next (Sleep) Step

There is no perfect timeline couples should try to follow when it comes to feeling comfortable around each other. In fact, looking over your shoulder at how well (or fast) things seem to be going for the people around you can be one of the most harmful things for your relationship. What works for one person may not necessarily work for another, and that includes deciding when the time is right to sleep over.

It took women nearly four months, on average, to feel comfortable having their significant other initially stay over at their house. Men moved at a slightly quicker pace, consenting to sleepovers almost three months into their relationship.

Deciding to let your partner stay at your house might be easier than sleeping at their place as well. On average, it took women over four months to be comfortable initially sleeping at their partner’s place Men needed over a month extra to initially sleep at their partner’s house.

Don’t expect that sharing a bed means you’ll be willing to bare it all, either. Only half of people would be OK sleeping naked during their first sleepover, and 58 percent wouldn’t even consider staying the night if they dated someone who still lived with his or her parents.

Tossing and Turning

Your first sleepover as a couple can be a bit stressful if you aren’t entirely ready for your partner to see the real “I woke up like this” side of you. There are naturally plenty of little things that could be playing over in your mind.

More than half of women were afraid of waking up with morning breath when sleeping at a partner’s house. Even though there are some things you can do the night before to help reduce morning breath, women were still more worried than men about just how bad their breath was when first waking up.

There are different levels to treating morning breath. Either get rid of the symptoms, or treat the cause, or do both. You can treat the symptoms of morning breath by using gum, brushing your teeth and tongue, using mouthwash, chewing spearmint or parsley, and rinsing with baking soda or mouthwash. All of these things work well temporarily, but consider the Bad Breath Institute’s tagline, “Treat your bad breath, don’t cover it up.”

If you want to eliminate the cause in a more permanent fashion, consider some of the following as they apply. Stop smoking or using tobacco, watch spicy foods, stay well hydrated, practice better oral care, consider treatment for acid reflux, and get help for mouth breathing. There are further medical conditions that can have bad breath associated with them, so check with your doctor if morning breath persists, or go to the dentist for a good cleaning and advice on how to eliminate your morning breath.

Men had a slightly different dilemma: snoring. Nearly 43 percent of men were most anxious about snoring while sleeping at a partner’s house.

Both men and women were nervous about farting in bed, moving too much in their sleep, drooling, and sleeping awkwardly. Over 16 percent of men even admitted to being anxious about their morning erections when sleeping at their partner’s house.

Making the Most of It

Instead of worrying about drooling or getting up in the morning to go to the bathroom, couples should recognize that their “first night” might be awkward and try to plan accordingly. That’s why we asked our respondents for their best advice when taking the plunge.

The No. 1 suggestion for making staying over less uncomfortable was simple: Bring a toothbrush. Whether it’s to avoid having morning breath or help you feel normal at the end of the night, being able to brush your teeth can be cathartic when sleeping in someone else’s bed for the first time.

Other easy ways to lessen the tension? Making sure you have sexual protection, refraining from snooping through your partner’s things, not touching their cell phone, and bringing a phone charger can be easy ways to help lighten the mood. And if you think pancakes might be a nice touch, men might agree. Compared to women, men were 17 percent more likely to suggest making breakfast for a partner in the morning.

Relationship Timeline Progress

Certain bodily functions are a fact of life. Try as you might to hold it in, there’s probably going to be a time where these awkward moments bubble up to the surface. Thankfully, life’s most uncomfortable moments might be a chance for your relationship to get a little closer.

You might think passing gas in front of someone you’re dating is about the worst thing that could happen, but eventually, it could feel pretty normal. The average person farts up to 20 times a day, so you probably won’t be able to avoid it forever.

Still, women had a slightly harder time than men feeling comfortable with some of these actions. Farting in bed and going to the bathroom with the door open took nearly nine months on average, and pooping with their significant other around took women almost 11 months (over three months longer than men).

On the other side of the sheets, women were more comfortable snooping through their partner’s phone while they slept. Even leaving a toothbrush at their partner’s house or leaving the bed unmade took women an extra month than men, on average.

Getting Through the Growing Pains Together

It’s natural to have fears about sharing a sleeping space with your partner for the first time, but it doesn’t have to be so scary. We’ll quickly address some common fears and what you can do about them:

I’m a light sleeper. What if my partner wakes me up all the time? One solution to this common problem is to consider using separate blankets. The constant tugging and hogging can’t be helping either of you get a good night’s rest. Plus, this gives each person the opportunity to use the type of comforter they prefer. Another solution is to consider getting a new mattress with better motion isolation.
What if one of us has a snoring problem? If you’re a heavy sleeper and your SO is the snoring culprit, try to get to bed before them so you don’t even notice their nighttime chainsaw impression. However, if the offender starts up in the middle of the night remember one thing – they can’t help it. Try to calm your anger and gently nudge them to their side. If you can, put a pillow against their back to keep them from finding their way back to their back – a snorer’s favorite position.
What if we just don’t mesh well in our sleep space? Every couple is different so every sleeping space will be different. Give it some time to adjust and figure out the sleeping preference of each person. Once you have a few weeks under your belt then you know what works and does not work for each other.

No matter how you slice it, relationships can be messy. And while you have plenty of time to meet each other’s parents or uncover uncomfortable truths about your pasts, it might help to get ready for when you initially fart in front of each other or have to explain why you talk in your sleep. It may not come naturally, but it might help bring you closer together.

Related: Helix mattress reviews

If you haven’t crossed the threshold of sleeping over just yet, just make sure you don’t forget to pack a toothbrush, phone charger, or an extra pair of underwear.

At Mattress Advisor, we’re committed to making sure you get the best sleep possible on the best mattress, no matter who’s sharing the bed. Every mattress we review goes through a six-point testing procedure and lab evaluation to make sure you know what you’re getting before your head ever hits the pillow. Let our guides take the stress out of sleeping.

METHODOLOGY

We collected responses from 1,009 people on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Participants were 52 percent female and 48 percent male. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 75 with a mean of 30 and standard deviation of 9.1.

To qualify for this survey, participants had to be currently in a relationship but not actively living with their partner. They must have had already slept at their partner’s house as well as had their partner sleep at their home. To determine the length of getting comfortable for each action or scenario, we ensured participants had lived through each experience before submitting their responses. Participants who didn’t experience a certain action or scenario were excluded from the analysis.

LIMITATIONS

The results shown in this study solely rely on self-reporting. Issues paired with self-reported data include but are not limited to: honesty, stereotypes, exaggeration, and response bias. Statistical testing was not performed on the results of this study. Future research and project around the topic of sleepovers during the honeymoon of a relationship should be explored in a more rigorous manner.

SOURCES

FAIR USE STATEMENT

If you intend on sharing this content with your audience (or someone about to have their first romantic sleepover), feel free to do so. Don’t doze off too quickly, and be sure to provide a link back to this page so that our contributors receive credit for the study.