Goodnight kisses now thing of the past

Eight in ten couples no longer kiss before nodding off and most of them sleep with their backs turned to their partner, according to a new British study. The sleep behaviour study found that 54 per cent of Brits choose to turn away and sleep with their back to their lover in a bid to get a good night's sleep. In fact, a quarter of lovers surveyed say they cannot bear their partner touching them while they are sleeping, the Telegraph reported. Moreover 90 per cent of couples no longer utter the three important words `I love you' before turning out the lights, the study of 2,000 couples by hotel chain Travelodge revealed. Further it found that the most common sleeping positions are those in which we do not face each other. Relationship psychologist Corrine Sweet says that during sleep, body language cannot be faked so your sleeping position can reveal a lot about your relationship. According to her, the most popular sleeping position for couples is with both in the fetal position, back to back. Sweet says the fetal position, sleeping on your side with head and shoulders curled in and knees pulled up, shows innocence and trust. However this distant way of sleeping is becoming more common, while less than a fifth of couples go to sleep `spooning' each other. And only 1 per cent of British adults actually sleep in the `heroic, romantic movie scene sleeping position', with the man lying on his back facing up and the woman's head cradled in the man's chest or shoulder. "Inevitably, once the first flush of lust wears off, with couples naked and entwined, it is more likely the need for a good night's sleep predominates, so sleeping back to back becomes a favourable position in bed," the Telegraph quoted Sweet as saying. Further research also highlighted a trend for sleeping apart. Nowadays one in 10 couples admit to sleeping separately from their partner in the quest for a good night's sleep. Alarmingly a quarter of couples aged 35 to 44 spend time sleeping in separate beds. The sleep behaviour report also found that one in four couples repeatedly argue in bed because one keeps the other awake. It also revealed that more than half of us feel our sex life would be better if we `cuddled-up' more. Men are especially keen, with more than two thirds of men (67 per cent) saying they want more cuddles and three in then get annoyed if their partner doesn't cuddle them in bed. "Our sleep behaviour study has revealed a lot about our relationships. It's interesting to see that as a nation we're not snuggling up, and in some cases, choosing to sleep in separate beds," said Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge spokeswoman. ANI