Spooning is a sleeping position when a person lies on their side and their partner hugs them from behind. Many couples who like this position, because it is more comfortable. In addition, this position can also increase emotional bonding and is good for body health.
Hugging is a way for humans to express love. There are no fixed rules when it comes to cuddling, but the spooning position is favored by many couples. Besides being considered very comfortable, this position is also good for physical and mental health.
What is Spooning and How is Spooning Done?
Spooning comes from the word spoon which means spoon. Spooning is done by lying curled up with the body sticking together with the partner's body. By doing this position, you and your partner unite like spoons neatly arranged in a drawer.
When spooning, the person who hugs is called big spoon or a large spoon, while the person being hugged is referred to as little spoon or a small spoon.
Anyone can be big spoon or little spoon, regardless of gender, height, and body size. Often couples will switch positions with each other, especially if they do it for a long time, such as while sleeping at night.
Apart from being a sleeping position, the term spooning is also used as a sex position, which is a technique of having sex when penetration is done from behind. This is a variant of position doggy style, but it's done lying down so it doesn't take a lot of energy to do it.
The spooning sex position facilitates deeper penetration and allows the partner's fingers to explore the clitoris, thereby increasing the chances of orgasm for women.
Benefits of Spooning with a Partner
There are many benefits of sleeping in a spooning position for you and your partner, including:
1. Strengthens emotional bonds
Physical touch with a partner, such as hugging, kissing, and caressing, can increase intimacy and emotional bonding. This is because physical touch can encourage the release of hormones that play a role in growing feelings of love and affection, such as oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin.
Oxytocin plays a role in creating a sense of empathy and concern for your partner, while the hormones dopamine and serotonin can cause feelings of calm and happiness as well as improve mood.
2. Make sleep more sound
Spooning position can also make you and your partner sleep more soundly. This effect is good for overcoming the problem of insomnia or in people whose sleep quality is disturbed.
3. Relieves stress
When hugging or being hugged by a partner in a spooning position, you will certainly feel happier and calmer. This effect is also effective for reducing stress and dealing with anxiety.
Various studies also state that people who regularly hug with their partners, including the spooning position, generally have more stable blood pressure and a stronger immune system.
4. Healthy pregnant women and their fetuses
Spooning sideways to the left is highly recommended for pregnant women. By lying on your left side, the weight of the fetus does not compress the large blood vessels in the abdomen or vena cava. This position is also good for the liver which is located on the right, because it is not pressured by the burden of the fetus.
This position makes it easier for the heart to work and blood flow to the uterus and kidneys becomes smoother. In addition, sleeping on your left side can also increase the amount of blood and nutrients to the placenta and fetus.
Spooning can indeed increase intimacy and is good for health. However, if done throughout the night, the neck and arms can feel sore, stiff, or tingling. Sleeping positions like this can also make you and your partner feel hot and hot.
To work around this, you can use a pillow to support your back, change positions, or sleep in an air-conditioned room. You can also change the spooning sleeping position with other variations that are more comfortable for you and your partner.
If you want to sleep in a spooning position with your partner but have difficulty due to neck or waist pain and frequent tingling or numbness in your arms, you don't need to force it. There are still many other ways that can be done to increase intimacy, for example doing pillow talk.
However, there is nothing wrong with consulting a doctor to find out the cause of the complaint, because it may not be caused by sleeping position.
