Reasons Why You Need a Bigger Bed

Are you constantly being disturbed by your other half in bed? Do they steal the bedclothes or hog the space?

Partner disturbance is one of the most common complaints for poor sleep.  With a larger bed you are less likely to disturb one another.  You should be able to lie side by side, with your arms behind your head and your elbows out, without touching.

However modern houses, dubbed ‘shameful shoebox homes’ are scuppering many couples’ hopes of a great night’s sleep as they don’t provide enough bedroom space for king-sized beds.

A study by The Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba)  highlighted the growing problem of space restriction in homes.

Bigger is better

According to the Riba report, the average new three-bedroom home covers 950 sq ft, almost 100 sq ft less than recommended in recently issued London planning guidelines.

Here are just 10 reasons why a bigger bed is a far better bet:

1. Because a standard double bed (135cm/4ft 6in) gives each person just 2ft 3in of space – less than a baby in a cot.  Now how squeezed is that?
2. Ergonomic studies show that couples sleep better in a bigger bed. Before the trials only 15% said they would buy a larger than standard bed.  Afterwards 50% said they would. (Ergonomic pilot study by the National Bed Federation, 1995.)
3. Because you spend a third of your life in bed – by the time we are 50 we’ll each have spent some 16 years in bed. If you are going to spend all that time there, why take the trip to dreamland in tourist class when you can go first class?
4. Because it doesn’t necessarily cost a whole heap more to move up a size.  Over seven years, every £100 spent on a new bed costs just 3.9p per night.
5. Because 16 other countries can’t be wrong!  That’s how many boast bigger average bed sizes than Britain.  Top of the league are Belgium, Greece, Holland, Iceland, Finland and Switzerland where most people sleep in a roomy 160cm by 200cm bed.  By contrast we Brits still buy more 135cm by 190cm beds.
6. Because you spend as much as you can afford on the best possible house, holiday, car, kitchen, TV and sound system.  So why so stingy when it comes to buying a bigger bed?
7. Because you wouldn’t want to get left behind! Although two-thirds of us still opt for the standard size, larger beds are becoming ever more popular among those with the bedroom space to take one: 33% of double divan and bedstead sales are now 5ft (king-size) or larger.  (GfK NOP Consumer Scope Beds and Mattresses Market Monitor, December 2010).
8. Because the average person wriggles and turns some 60 to 70 times a night – so you want to put as much space between you and your mate as possible to reduce the disturbance factor.
9. Because you may not be as young as you were – or as slim!  A 2014 report from the World Health Organisation said tha 28.1% of adults in the UK were classified as obese in which case the ‘two in a 4 ft 6ins scenario’ could be putting a severe strain on your relationship.
10. Because once you’ve slept in a king-size, you’ll never want to be a second class sleeper again!