Evie Summers
Communal sleeping was a common practice throughout history, with many people sleeping in one room or bed. The idea that sleep should be private is less than five hundred years old, with the Victorian era marking a shift towards privacy and individual bedrooms. Before modern times, beds and private bedrooms were a luxury few could afford, with whole families sleeping together in the same room. The sleeping arrangements often depended on social class and economic factors, with royalty and the wealthy having separate quarters while the poor lived in one-room cottages or crowded tenements. The notion of separate beds for couples also evolved over time, influenced by factors such as health concerns, social norms, and changing marital dynamics.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Time period | Medieval times to the 20th century |
| Location | Europe, Scotland, Ireland, England, Belgium, North America |
| Housing type | One-roomed cottage, crowded tenement, row houses |
| Sleep setup | One room for the whole family, separate beds for couples, communal sleeping with strangers or travelers |
| Factors influencing sleep arrangements | Wealth, social class, space, privacy, health concerns, religion, industrial revolution, urbanization |
| Modern perspectives | Higher sleep quality when sleeping separately, stigma associated with twin beds, psychological comfort of sharing beds |
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What You'll Learn
Wealthier families could afford separate bedrooms
Communal sleeping was a common practice in the past, with entire families sharing a single room or bed. However, wealthier families could afford the luxury of separate bedrooms, setting them apart from the lower classes. Here are some reasons why:
Space and Affordability
Wealthier families had larger houses with multiple rooms, allowing them to allocate separate bedrooms for each family member. In contrast, poorer families often lived in small cottages or crowded tenements with only one room, making communal sleeping a necessity.
Status and Luxury
In the Middle Ages, having separate bedrooms and multiple sets of bedding was a mark of status. Wealthy families could afford the expense of bedding and laundry services, displaying their wealth through their sleeping arrangements.
Privacy and Comfort
The concept of privacy in the bedroom emerged during the Victorian era, influenced by the rapid urbanization and religious beliefs of the Industrial Revolution. Wealthier individuals valued their private spaces and sought to separate their sleeping quarters from the rest of the household. This shift towards privacy extended to married couples as well, with some husbands and wives choosing to have separate bedrooms, each with their own adjoining dressing rooms.
Health and Hygiene
The mid-19th century saw growing concerns about public health, and separate bedrooms were seen as a way to reduce the spread of disease. Additionally, some medical professionals advised against children sharing beds with adults, believing that it could affect the children's "vital warmth."
Social Dynamics
Separate bedrooms allowed for a redefinition of sexual boundaries within marriages, especially in the middle class. Wives were no longer expected to be sexually available to their husbands at all times, and the privacy afforded by separate bedrooms or beds enabled a new level of autonomy for women.
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Communal sleeping was common
The concept of separate bedrooms for the wealthy was feasible due to their larger living spaces. Royalty and the upper classes often had their own quarters, and multiple sets of bedding became a symbol of wealth, as laundering was expensive. However, even the wealthy sometimes chose to share beds with their inferiors or peers. For example, Queen Elizabeth I reportedly never slept alone during her 44-year reign, sharing her bedchamber with trusted attendants for protection and company.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was common for people to sleep with friends, family, servants, or even strangers. The diarist Samuel Pepys often shared a bed with male friends, and in 1776, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams shared a bed while travelling, bickering over whether to keep the window open or closed. Large families would assign sleeping spots based on age and gender, with the mother and daughters on one side and the father and sons on the other.
Communal sleeping provided psychological comfort and helped transcend social class barriers. However, it also had its challenges, with concerns about bodily noises, blanket-hogging, and morning breath. The advent of the ""new woman" in the late 19th century also contributed to the shift towards separate sleeping arrangements, as women claimed greater autonomy within their marriages. The Victorians played a significant role in ending communal sleeping, emphasising privacy and morality in their homes and influencing the lower classes to adopt similar practices.
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Sleeping arrangements were dictated by age and gender
In the past, sleeping arrangements were largely dictated by social class, with the wealthy having the luxury of separate bedrooms. However, within the constraints of what was available, sleeping arrangements were often dictated by age and gender.
In the 1600s, it was common for entire families to sleep together in a single room, with children sometimes sleeping in the hayloft above. In one-room cottages, the entire family might share a single straw bed near the fire on colder nights. On less cold nights, the children would sleep in the hayloft, and the parents would sleep in the straw bed.
In the 1840s, during the Great Famine, many Irish families still lived in one-room cottages. When bad weather made it impossible for visitors to travel home, they would share a bed with the family.
In his book, *At Day's Close*, historian A. Roger Ekirch describes how a 19th-century Irish family slept in birth order, with the mother and sisters on one side of the bed and the father and brothers on the other.
During the 19th century, beds and bedrooms gradually became more private, influenced by rapid urbanisation during the Industrial Revolution and the religious beliefs of the Victorian era, which emphasised marriage, chastity, family, and the bond between parent and child.
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Privacy expectations have changed
During medieval times, it was common for people to sleep in one room, with only a curtain around the bed for privacy. The notion of privacy in the bedroom began to emerge during the 16th and 17th centuries, when being naked in front of others in the bedroom started to be considered indecent. However, the idea of separate bedrooms for each family member was a luxury that few could afford before modern times.
The Industrial Revolution and rapid urbanisation in the 19th century played a significant role in the shift towards privacy. The construction of compact row houses with designated rooms, including bedrooms, contributed to the notion of bedrooms as private spaces. Religion also influenced this change, as the pervasive Evangelical Christianity of the Victorian era emphasised chastity and the sanctity of the family.
Social class also impacted privacy expectations. While royalty and the wealthy often had their own separate quarters, the poor lived in one-room cottages or crowded tenements, with the entire family sleeping in the same space. The size of the home and the number of rooms played a role in sleeping arrangements, with larger homes allowing for more privacy.
In the 20th century, particularly after World War II, the size of homes in the US increased, and separate bedrooms became more common. However, even as late as the 1970s, some interior design spreads still showed separate beds for married couples, indicating a lingering stigma associated with communal sleeping.
Today, privacy expectations in the bedroom have evolved to the point where sleeping in a sealed-off, noise-free space, alone or with a partner, is considered the norm. While some couples still choose to sleep separately for various reasons, such as sleep quality or snoring, the stigma associated with separate sleeping spaces has largely faded.
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![Historic Framed Print, [Colonial period interiors, ca. 1900: James K. Hackett's sleeping apartments], 17-7/8" x 21-7/8"](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41BctSULrYL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Health concerns influenced sleeping arrangements
Communal sleeping was a common practice in the past, with entire families sharing a single room or bed. However, health concerns emerged that influenced sleeping arrangements and contributed to a shift towards separate bedrooms and beds.
Health Concerns and Beliefs
During the 19th century, various health concerns and beliefs influenced sleeping arrangements. Dr. B. W. Richardson, writing in 1880, advised against children sharing a bed with adults, suggesting that adults would suck the "vital warmth" from children. This belief in the negative transfer of bodily energies between bedmates was prevalent at the time. Elizabeth F. Holt also warned that the air surrounding a person in bed becomes "impregnated with poisonous substances" released through the pores, contributing to an "impure" sleeping environment.
The Impact of Industrialization and Urbanization
The Industrial Revolution and rapid urbanization played a significant role in changing sleeping arrangements. The construction of compact row houses in cities during the 19th century led to the designation of specific rooms for sleeping, marking the beginning of bedrooms as private spaces. This shift towards privacy and individual bedrooms was further influenced by religious beliefs during the Victorian era, with a strong emphasis on marriage, chastity, and family values. The idea that communal sleeping was improper and immoral gradually spread, trickling down from the upper classes to the lower classes.
Socioeconomic Factors
Socioeconomic factors also influenced sleeping arrangements. Wealthier individuals and royalty often had separate quarters due to the size of their homes and the affordability of multiple beds. In contrast, poorer individuals and families typically lived in one-room cottages or crowded tenements, with limited privacy and shared sleeping spaces.
Modern Trends and Research
In the 20th century, particularly after World War II, the size of homes in the U.S. increased, and concerns about hygiene and privacy became more prominent. Additionally, recent research has supported the idea that couples may sleep better when sleeping apart, with estimates suggesting that a notable percentage of couples in Canada and the U.S. embrace this arrangement.
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Frequently asked questions
No. Whether people slept in one bedroom or not depended on their social class and the size of their house. The poor often lived in one-room homes or crowded tenements, while the wealthy could afford multiple rooms and beds. Communal sleeping was common, with families sleeping together in the same room, and it was not unusual for strangers and travelers to share a bed while on the road.
Communal sleeping gradually ended during the 19th century as beds and bedrooms became private spheres. This shift was driven by rapid urbanization during the Industrial Revolution, which led to the construction of compact row houses with rooms designated for specific purposes, such as sleeping. The Victorian era, with its emphasis on religion, marriage, chastity, and family, also played a role in promoting separate sleeping spaces.
It depended on the couple and the time period. In the past, some couples slept in separate beds or even separate rooms due to health concerns, the desire for privacy and autonomy, or simply because they had the space to do so. However, the practice of couples sleeping in separate beds fell out of fashion in the early 1970s, as it came to be seen as old-fashioned, unhealthy, and prudish.
