Sharing a bed usually involves snoring, pulling the duvet, turning - all things that can interfere with a good night's sleep.
Lack of sleep or poor quality sleep, in turn, has been linked to a variety of serious health conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, cancer and diabetes.
While scientists are unsure of why exactly we need sleep, it is clear that not getting enough sleep upsets the body's internal clock and can have a detrimental effect on your health.
Only recently, a US study found that lack of sleep appears to disrupt hormones that regulate appetite, which may contribute to growing obesity.
Another study found that sleep disruption affects hormones and proteins which may then affect the body in ways that increase its susceptibility to colon and breast cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
Though these studies do not offer conclusive proof of the harmful effects of disrupted sleep, anyone who has shared a bed with a fidgety partner knows how a poor night's sleep can follow.
So what can you do to make the third of your day you spend in bed restful?
Well, you could sleep in separate beds. But you may reasonably enjoy sharing a bed, and even if you did consider a separate bed, this may be perceived extravagant by your partner.
Or course, you might not have a bed to spare, and are stuck with sharing one.
What to do? Here are some helpful tips to make sharing a bed more pleasant and easier on your sleep.
Change the mattress
Often a person shifting in bed will wake the other because the soft mattress will jiggle or the bed will creak.
A firmer mattress will not be as disruptive as a soft one and, in any case, it's better for your back.
Get a bigger bed
Most people sharing a bed end up with less personal space, in proportion, than a baby in a cot. The close quarters mean that it is very easy for one partner to disrupt the other's sleep by shifting in the bed.
See if you can get a slightly bigger bed, with a better mattress.
Separate duvets
The battle for the duvet is often a source of marital discord and interrupted sleep; get separate, one person duvets, and you can regulate how you're keeping warm.
This is also true of the bedroom ambient temperature. Try to agree to a level that is suitable to both - not too cold and not too hot, and make sure the room is well ventilated.
Snoring
If your partner snores, you may well force them to sleep in another room! However, if this is not the case, this may motivate them and you to discover its causes.
Snoring can be caused by age, being overweight, alcohol, medicines, sleeping position, smoking, allergies or a host of other issues.
While there are no simple treatments, it is worth looking into it, for your and your partner's health. ( yahoo )