Googling things in the middle of a "wakeful night's sleep" often results in interesting (yet somewhat useless) information. One dark and sleepless night, I read that slumbering on the left-hand side of the bed is the key to a happier, less stressful life.
Oh, no!
I'm in trouble.
I'm a righty.
An interesting tidbit from this research was that "people who favour the left of the bed also have more confidence and are more likely to be in permanent employment than those who prefer the other side." The study also revealed that "while right-hand siders tend to earn more than their opposite numbers, those who sleep on the left are happiest at work."
So, left is right, and right is wrong? There really is a wrong side of the bed? Am I right?
I sleep on the right side of the mattress. I get up on the right side, and start my day on the right foot.
I've always slept on the right side of the bed. Even when I was a little girl and shared a full-sized canopy bed with my big sis, I slept on the right side. The reason I got the right side was simple. Our bed had an extra tall frame, so the mattress was pretty high. We pushed the bed against the wall on the right side, so there was no fear of little four-year-old "me" falling out of such a high bed. Also, our room was very small, so the only logical configuration was to have the bed against the wall to allow more floor space; our bedroom was quite literally a BED room.
As I understand it, I was a bed hog during my childhood years. And I kicked like a mule while sleeping. I even managed to boot my sister out of bed on one occasion. I frequently stole all the sheets and blankets. According to my sister, she was always on the right side because there was nothing left. (It's a joke. She didn't REALLY say that. Besides, she slept on the left.)
Now that I'm already several paragraphs in to this left/right side of the bed discussion, how does one even determine what the right side or left side of the bed is?! What point of reference does one use? Is it when you are sitting up/lying in bed on your back? Lying on your stomach? Or is this determined by standing at the foot of the bed, looking at the bed. Hmmmm. Another consultation with Google shows that there is even debate on how to answer that question. Really?!!!
I'm taking the stance that the right and left side of the bed are similar to the right and left side of a car. When sitting in an automobile, the driver is on the left side, and the passenger is on the right. Imagine sitting in your bed, sans the steering wheel. Wait! The aforementioned sleep study was done in the UK, and their driver's seat is on the right... Now I'm really confused.
Soooo, my left sleeping husband is supposedly more cheerful than I? I don't know about that. For the past several weeks, I've been giving him the cold shoulder every single night.
Do you remember that I broke my shoulder at the beginning of this year? Yes, that's the same injury that I thought was all better, after months of PT. It's been acting up again. The achy shoulder/rotator cuff could be the reason I'm not sleeping for eight straight hours and then find myself surfing the Web in the wee hours.
Any way, I am back at physical therapy. I have instructions to do additional exercises at home, and I'm supposed to ice my shoulder a few times a day. I find that it feels nice to ice just before catching some zzz's. It's my left shoulder, so if I lie on my back, Mr. Smith is to my left, on the left side of the bed. Just how cheerful can a guy be who gets a very chilly reception every time he comes in close for a good night kiss and snuggle?! Perhaps he is feeling left out.
Our 26th wedding anniversary is next month. Do you think we will make it?
Hey! There is hope. I just read online that some new study done by someone somewhere suggests couples get health benefits from snoozing together -- no sides were taken as to whether L or R is the better side of the bed to be on. "Together" is the operative word. The article goes on to explain that this might be a major reason why people with close relationships tend to be in better health and live longer.
As long as Mr. Smith and I can deal with an occasional ice pack, frigid feet, stolen blankets, and the aches and pains of growing older together, we should be just fine.
I must admit that I am still a wee bit bugged by those research findings that indicate that right side o' the bed sleepers often awake with a bad mood and are not as happy as the lefties. Hurumph! Oh, if only there were a little more room on the left side of the bed...
