How to Deal with Someone Hogging the Sheets

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: February 17, 2021

Sleeping with a sheet-hogging partner can disrupt your sleep and even cause problems in your relationship! You can sleep in comfort by learning different techniques to get your sheets back, talking to your partner about blanket theft, and even adjusting your bedding so both of you have plenty of covers.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Staying Comfortable at Night

1
Tuck part of the sheet under you. Try tucking the side of the sheet under your body before you go to sleep. That way, your partner won’t be able to pull it all the way off you.^{[1]
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2
Tuck the sheet edges under the mattress. If you move around too much to hold the sheet down yourself, or if your partner is much stronger than you, try tucking both sides under the mattress. This will create a pocket you can both sleep in. You can even buy special products to secure your sheets!^{[2]
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- Many people find sleeping in tucked-in sheets confining, so check with your partner before trying this.
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3
Cuddle your partner. Cuddle up close to your partner and pull the blanket over both of you. If you’re close by them all night, it will be very difficult to take the it from you!
4
Pull the sheets back gently. If you wake up without sheets or a blanket, try just gently tugging them back until you're covered. This is a good option if your partner doesn’t usually take the blanket, or if you want to avoid waking them up.
5
Get up and straighten the blanket. If your partner has taken too much of the blanket for you to gently pull back, you may need to get up and readjust the entire thing. Stand up and gently unfurl it, then get back into bed.
- Don’t whip the entire blanket off the bed--it will wake your partner and may start an argument.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Talking to Your Partner

1
Wake up your partner. Sometimes people have no idea that they are hogging the sheets. If your partner regularly takes all the sheets, you may simply have to wake them up and tell them gently that you can’t sleep without covers.^{[3]
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- Try nudging your partner and saying "Honey, wake up, you've got all the sheets. Can I have some back?"
- Many people are grumpy when woken up in the middle of the night. Try to keep calm and gentle when telling your partner about the stolen sheets.
2
Talk to them about it during the day. If blanket-stealing is a regular problem, sit your partner down and talk to them about it during the day. They’re much more likely to remember a conversation in the daytime, and it will help emphasize how important this is to you. Tell them you are having difficulty sleeping uncovered, and ask them to try to use only half of the blanket.^{[4]
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- You don't need to make it a formal talk. Try something like "I've noticed that you usually wind up with all the covers at night. It's actually making it pretty hard for me to sleep, would you mind trying to keep to your half of the blanket?"
3
Ask if they’re comfortable at night. Many people steal sheets because they are too cold or because the other bedding is uncomfortable. Ask your partner if they’re comfortable at night. If they aren’t, try changing the bedding or turning the furnace up before you go to bed.^{[5]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Changing Your Bedding

1
Use separate sheets. Try getting each of you a separate sheet. If you have a decorative bedding set you don’t want to change, the second set can be kept in the linen closet or in under-bed storage until bedtime each night.
2
Buy a larger bedding set. Your covers may simply be too small for both of you! Try getting a size larger than your bed--if you sleep in a queen size bed, get a king size set
3
Get a smaller bed. Many people steal sheets because they are just too far away from their partner to share. If it’s an option, a smaller bed might be a good solution. Try sleeping in a queen or full-size bed--it may be impossible to steal sheets!
4
Try sleeping separately. If you really can’t get comfortable and no other solution has worked for you, separate beds may be a last resort to prevent further relationship stress. You don’t have to sleep in separate rooms. Try pushing two small beds close to each other.^{[6]
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