It’s the age-old tale: two souls from warring families fall in love and succumb to a lifetime of late nights and grouchy mornings.

No, we’re not misremembering Romeo and Juliet, we’re talking about when Early Birds and Night Owls collide.

If you and your partner are struggling to cope with each other’s sleeping patterns, here are some things you can try...

Talk About It

First things first, talk to each other! Harbouring resentment towards your partner’s sleeping patterns will not only have a negative effect on your relationship, it’ll have a negative effect on your sleep too, as the anxiety, worry and stress that comes with conflict can lead to even poorer sleep quality.

Stop Blaming Each Other

Unfortunately, your partner isn’t just a lazy bones who won’t get out of bed or an over-energetic jack-in-the-box who wakes you up too early. Well, they might be, but on the whole, we don’t tend to have much choice over whether we’re a night owl or an early bird. It’s called having a different chronotype and is something that’s defined purely by our genes, so blaming each other or insisting one of you is doing things the wrong way isn’t helpful.

Be Respectful

Once you’ve established that no one is to blame and you’re simply different chronotypes, you’re likely to be more respectful of each other’s sleeping patterns. If you go to bed later than your partner, try to do everything you can not to disturb their sleep or treat them to a fancy eye mask and earplugs if that helps. The same applies if you wake up super early - try to get up as quietly as possible or keep a book or phone by your bedside table to keep you entertained until your partner is ready to wake up.

Embrace Your Differences

Of course, having different chronotypes can be a blessing if you have a newborn, a family, or pets that need tending to. Night owls will be able to deal with bedtime tantrums and late-night nightmares, while early birds will be happy to spring out of bed and deal with breakfast or early morning walks. Dividing tasks like this plays to everyone’s strengths, keeping both you and your partner happy and grouch-free!

Whatever your sleeping patterns, make sure you're catching some shut-eye in the most comfortable bed possible by exploring the fantastic range of beds and mattresses available online and from our Douglas showroom.