But does the method work? And how do you make a bed with two blankets? We put it to the test. We gave five couples two twin-size down alternative comforters each and asked them to try the method for a week. Here’s what they had to say.
Typical sleeping arrangement: Queen-size bed with a flat sheet, blanket and comforter.
Pain points: Tester 1’s husband accuses her of being a chronic sheet stealer, but she thinks the main issue is that they operate at different temperatures: “I am a nuclear furnace when I sleep, while my husband is a block of ice,” she says. Regardless, it seems like someone is always getting shortchanged on covers, or someone is tossing and turning.
How they carried out the test: They used the separate comforters, no flat sheet or blankets.
The experience: She likes to throw her foot or leg out from under the covers when she gets too hot, and the separate covers allowed her to do this on both sides, instead of just one. Another bonus: Lounging in bed on weekends was better with the extra covers. “It was absolutely luxuriant to take over the whole bed and both comforters and do the crossword puzzle,” she says. Her husband liked that he could roll over and move around in bed without affecting his wife.
The bed-making problem: They don’t typically make their bed, so this wasn’t an issue. “No shade on anyone who is put together enough in the morning to arrange their bedding, but we usually leave it in a chaotic state, and tend to reassemble the tangle of sheets into something more coherent as we’re going to bed, not when we wake up,” she says.
The verdict: The arrangement worked well for them, and they may implement it in the future. “The only hesitation is that we have so much bedding, buying more almost becomes a storage problem at this point,” she says. “But I think we slept better and more comfortably, so if I see twin comforters on sale anytime soon, there’s a good chance we will make the switch.”
Typical sleeping arrangement: Queen-size bed with a top sheet and a duvet.
Pain points: Tester 2 and her husband often go to bed at different times, and many nights one of them has to get up to tend to their toddler, which can be disruptive. There are also issues with sharing covers, she says: “One of us (a.k.a. me) is allegedly a cover hog, which means the other of us sleeps in a defensive crouch with respect to the shared covers as a way to maintain some blanket.”
How they carried out the test: They started with the two twin-size down alternative duvets provided, but her husband didn’t like the texture, so he swapped his out for a twin-size quilt they had. And she realized she preferred a bigger blanket, so she swapped in a queen-size quilt. They kept their queen-size flat sheet.
The experience: The test went well for this couple. Even the difference of opinions on the blankets ended up working in their favor. “The idea that we could each seek out a blanket with our preferred texture and warmth level was an improvement on sharing one quilt,” she says. “It was great to each have our own quilt and made for more restful sleeping.”
The bed-making problem: They don’t make the bed daily but like to do it when time allows. Settling on one twin quilt for him and a queen-size quilt for her helped here. During the day, they made the bed with the queen-size cover and folded the twin cover across the bottom of the bed.
The verdict: They said the arrangement was a big improvement on their previous blanket-sharing situation and plan to continue to use it.
Typical sleeping arrangement: Queen-size bed with a top sheet and comforter.
Pain points: Tester 3 says her husband is an occasional cover-stealer, and she’s a light sleeper who wakes easily if he is tossing and turning.
How they carried out the test: They used the twin comforters and skipped the flat sheet.
The experience: Her husband tossed and turned a good bit one night, and got up to use the bathroom several times on another night, but it didn’t disturb her. She says, though, that she’s so used to his restlessness that she might not have been disturbed even while sharing covers. She liked being able to stick her leg out from under the covers on either side. But there were also drawbacks, including getting overheated. “I think during the night, the excess parts of our blankets would overlap on one person or the other,” she says.
The bed-making problem: They folded the twin comforters lengthwise and placed them side by side to give the bed a neat appearance.
The verdict: They plan to keep their original bedding configuration. “I don’t think we saw enough of a positive impact to switch to two blankets,” she says. She also likes having a neatly made bed, which was another strike against the Scandinavian method.
Typical sleeping arrangement: King-size bed with a flat sheet, blanket and duvet.
Pain points: Tester 4 likes to have covers tucked snugly around her, while her husband struggles to keep his side tucked. Sometimes that leads to uneven distribution of blankets. She maintains that because his covers are untucked, they bunch up at the bottom, creating the impression that she’s stolen them when, in fact, she has not. He admits this possibility: “I think I kick covers off and then overcompensate when trying to recover (ha),” he says. “Then the groggy tug-of-war begins.”
How they carried out the test: They used the two twin duvets provided and dragged out old twin-size top sheets from when their kids were little, giving them completely separate covers.
The experience: The test took cover-stealing out of the equation, and she reports that she was less aware of when her husband got in and out of bed (he goes to bed later — and gets up earlier — than she does). “Something has to go pretty wrong for you to end up with the other person’s covers,” her husband says. “I don’t really see a downside to it. It’s the happy medium between the freedom of separate beds and the traditional way that just doesn’t work for many people.” It didn’t solve his issues with keeping his covers in order; sometimes he woke up with just the duvet and couldn’t find the top sheet. She liked the fact that he couldn’t blame her for this problem anymore. Overall, it improved their quality of sleep.
The bed-making problem: They typically don’t make their bed, so this wasn’t an issue.
The verdict: They have returned to their usual sleeping arrangements for now, but may switch at some point in the future if they find bedding they like.
Typical sleeping arrangement: A queen bed with a flat sheet, blanket and comforter.
Pain points: Tester 5 says she and her partner’s covers come untucked at times, but overall, they don’t have issues with sharing. She sleeps “warm,” so prefers a cool room with a fan pointing at her, and often wakes up under just the sheet.
How they carried out the test: They started with just the separate comforters but missed having a top sheet, so after a week, they brought back a shared queen-size sheet.
The experience: While they slept well during the test, they didn’t notice much of a difference between sharing a comforter or having separate ones. “We already have a comforter we like enough, and both of us prefer to have a flat sheet between the comforter and ourselves,” she says. After a few nights, they added a sheet and blanket for her partner, who sleeps cooler. And after a week, they brought back the queen-size top sheet. Overall, they didn’t notice much of a difference sleeping with two duvets, possibly because they don’t struggle with sharing covers.
The bed-making problem: It’s easier to make the bed with fewer covers, she says, but it definitely looked less tidy. When her parents came to visit, they tossed their regular comforter over the bed for a neater appearance.
The verdict: They felt pretty neutral about the test and have gone back to their regular sleeping arrangement. “I think this is fine when we travel … but isn’t a huge benefit at home,” she says.
