Do you always sleep on the same side of the bed, even if you're sleeping alone? A new survey asked 2,000 Americans why they do it.
They were allowed to give more than one answer. Here are the top five reasons we prefer one side of the bed over the other:
1. It's easier to get in and out of bed on that side, or it's closer to the door, 40%.
2. My partner prefers the other side, 31%.
3. Better access to the nightstand, also 31%.
4. There's a better view of the TV, 25%.
5. I like to sleep against a wall, 18%.
When we talked about this on the air, MANY listeners told us that they slept closest to the door to protect their partner in case of an emergency like an intrusion. We think this is paranoid and weird to live your life anticipating the worst situation, but dozens of listeners claimed they did this, and carry the behavior to anywhere they sleep, like hotel rooms.
We're not sure how scientific this next part is. But they also looked at the different personality traits of right and left-side sleepers. (For the study, the "left" side was the side on your left if you're standing at the foot of the bed, not lying down.)
The survery, by OnePoll on behalf of Slumber Cloud, found people who sleep on the left side of the bed tend to like beer more than wine, listen to oldies music, prefer dramatic movies, and lean left politically.
Meanwhile, right-side sleepers are more likely to be wine drinkers, listen to rock music, prefer action movies, and lean right politically.