The Scandinavian Sleep Method Could Solve Your Blanket-Hogging Problems
If there's anything to know about Scandinavians, it's that they really have things figured out. Every year they dominate the list of the world's happiest countries (Finland, which is technical Nordic but is usually lumped into Scandinavia, has won six years in a row now), they have phenomenal maternity and paternity leave policies, and, of course, Sweden gave us Ikea. It's a lovely region with lots of snow and millions of very tall people who are sleeping better than the rest of us — and not because of their penchant for pickled herring and lingonberries. It's because they have a method.
According to viral videos on TikTok, these countries adhere to the "Scandinavian Sleep Method." What is it? "To set your bed Scandinavian-style, you'll need to start by adding a fitted sheet and grab two twin duvets," CEO and founder of a luxury sleepwear company Jessica Hanley tells Glamour. "Take your first duvet and lay it a little more than halfway across the bed and repeat with the second blanket so that they overlap. For some added comfort, drape a textured throw or bedspread across the bottom of the bed, and voila!" In other words, Scandinavians allegedly never wake up in the middle of the night freezing cold because their partner hogged the blankets. Instead, everyone up there is sleeping like a baby and not threatening each other with sleep divorce.
So could the Scandinavian Sleep Method be what the entire population needs? Could this sleeping hack bring us one step closer to a perfect world? Not exactly. But it could make sharing a bed with your partner enjoyable and help you kiss your sleepless nights hejdå för alltid.
Benefits of the Scandinavian Sleep Method
Although not having to deal with one partner hogging the blanket or duvet is an obvious perk, that's not the only benefit of the Scandinavian Sleep Method. Along with minimizing nightly disturbances, the individual blankets allow people to better regulate their body temperature, which is paramount in getting a good night's sleep. According to the Sleep Foundation, the ideal room temperature for the best night's sleep is 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 degrees Celsius). But because some bodies run hotter or colder than others, sleeping directly next to someone else under the same blanket can result in you feeling their residual heat. "If you get hot, your body will have trouble sleeping or staying asleep," certified adult sleep consultant Zeke Medina, PharmD tells Real Simple. "This can reduce your sleep quality and could interfere with daytime alertness." Separate blankets can help each person achieve the perfect temperature to stay asleep all night long.
The Scandinavian Sleep Method can also stave off the aforementioned sleep divorce which, despite how wonderful having your own bed sounds, has its own downsides. According to a 2021 study published in Sleep Health, sharing a bed with a partner (or even a pet!) promotes better sleep quality. With someone by our side, we have a stronger sense of security allowing for deeper sleep and increased rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the latter of which is essential for mental and emotional health.
Drawbacks of the Scandinavian Sleep Method
Although the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, there are still a couple things worth noting. For starters, two duvets are going to be more expensive than just one. There's also the slight issue of a bed possibly not being wide enough for more than one duvet or blanket. However, that can be remedied if you and your partner roll yourself up like burritos — who doesn't want to be a cozy, sleeping burrito? The Scandinavian Sleep Method could also stand in the way of intimately connecting in the bedroom — but only if you let it.
"The bed is a very meaningful space in terms of intimacy, in terms of coupledom, and so something like separate blankets can threaten that sense of oneness or intimacy because of the cultural standard we set ourselves, but the most important thing about sleep is getting a good night's sleep," sleep expert Neil Stanley tell Refinery 29. If either partner doesn't get the proper amount of shut-eye, it can cause problems. "You lack empathy, you have more arguments, you have more negative feelings about your partner the next day. That's not a recipe for a happy relationship," says Stanley, adding that sleep should be prioritized when you're sleeping; your relationship can be your focal point in your waking hours.
Takeaway? The Scandinavians have done it again. As long as you're aware of the drawbacks and are cool with them, the benefits certainly take the cake with this sleeping hack.