The expert: John Dittami, an Austria-based sleep researcher and co-author of
Sleeping Better Together
The sleep secret: "In Europe, where I live, it's not at all strange for couples to have their own blankets in bed. This solves a lot of problems. We know from talking to couples for our book that using one blanket for two people is not conducive to good sleep. Not only does it make you more aware of your partner's movements, but it can also amplify the heat—and it can cause arguments when the blanket isn't evenly spread over both people. In my case, my partner and I will spend time together talking or cuddling before sleep, but after about 10 or 15 minutes, she turns over, and I turn over, and we each draw up our own separate covers. I know that I snore, so this helps a little bit. The separate covers are like our version of a peace treaty."
Sleep disappointment: "I've tried melatonin for jet lag, and while it did make me drowsy and cause me to sleep later, it wasn't a restful sleep, and I didn't feel refreshed in the morning. To paraphrase Shakespeare, ‘it provoked the desire but took away the performance.'"
