Sleep better with this Scandinavian bedding hack

November 4, 2024

The majority of Americans aren’t getting the sleep they need.

While myriad factors affect slumber quality and quantity, if you share a bed, there could be a quick fix in your future.

Sleep experts say overheating is a common sleep saboteur, and following the Scandinavian sleep method could be key to keeping it cool.

“If you have a partner, sleep with two duvets instead of one,” James Wilson, who calls himself the Sleep Geek, told The Mirror.

“Usually, in Northern European countries like Denmark or Norway, couples have two duvets, so each person has their own when sleeping… If you’re a hot sleeper, laying next to someone, they’re coming into your side of the bed, that makes you hot!”

Wilson explained that women are even more sensitive to heat when sleeping, as the week before menstruation coincides with a spike in core temperature.

Other experts have suggested that the ideal temperature for the “best sleep ever” is between 63 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cleveland Clinic supports setting the thermostat at 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit to turn your bedroom into a “cool, dark, and quiet” cave.

Wilson coined the term “sleep dictator” to describe the tug of war — or tug of blanket, as it were — between couples with opposing preferences for light versus heavy duvets.

“You can end up with ‘duvet wars’ where one person is saying, ‘I’ve got the duvet, I’d like more of the duvet,’ or ‘No, we’re having this [type of] duvet.’ You end up in this sort of battle,” he explained. “Separate duvets not only give a better temperature for sleep but also stop you from fighting over the duvet. Win, win.”

A survey of 2,000 Americans who live with a partner found 36% appreciate when either they or their partner isn’t at home, as they don’t have to share a bed.

The results show that four in five respondents (82%) admit their partner’s sleeping habits consistently wake them up during the night.

Wilson and other sleep experts say that not sharing is caring and point to the Scandinavian method as an excellent alternative to sleep divorce — a rising trend of couples sleeping in different rooms.

In a similar vein, or thread count, Erica Stolman Dowdy said the Scandinavian sleep method “could save marriages.”

In a viral TikTok, the influencer explained that she and her husband went to Copenhagen, where she learned the sleep trick and decided to implement it at home.

“The Scandinavian sleep method is an absolute game changer. 10/10 recommend,” her video caption reads. Some of her followers are also devotees of the double duvet, reporting that the Scandinavian method has been a dream come true for their co-sleeping arrangements.

“Once you sleep with two comforters … you will NEVER go back to only one!!!” one wrote.

“Yup. Hubby and I have had our own comforters for over a decade. The best,” said another.

Whether you sleep alone or with a partner under one blanket or two, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults tuck in for at least seven hours a night.