Cuddling or snuggling — whatever you call it, cuddling is relaxing and soothing; it can help you unwind and make you feel safe and comfy. There are definitely those "cuddly" sleepers — the spooners, the huggers, the tanglers. But if you’re like me, cuddling is all good and fun until it makes it almost near impossible to fall asleep (if you’re not already on the brink of immediate knock-out, that is). Because as cozy as it is, cuddling can become suffocating. It gets too warm. You need your space and you need to not be aware of every single little movement you make as you transition into dream-world.
But how do you escape that (still wonderful) entangled embrace, you might be asking? I was wondering the same thing.
So I turned to an expert: the fictional but never-the-less on-point Ross Gellar of television’s beloved sitcom “Friends.”
Ross’s advice appears in Season 3, Episode 3 “The One With the Jam.” Ross and Rachel are giving Chandler relationship advice. Chandler asks how he can get out of cuddling Janice as they fall asleep together. Excellent question, Chandler. Ross explains the technique (with Rachel out of the room, of course): the "hug and roll." Sounds simple enough. All Chandler has got to do is hug Janice and then slowly roll away to roomy freedom on the other side of the bed. Eventually, when Chandler finally attempts to execute Ross' move, he ends flipping her on to the floor while she sleeps — but that’s beside the point.
I decided to test the practicality and accuracy of Ross’s "hug and roll" technique.
I recruited the help of a friend. My tiny cuddling fiend and “Friends" fanatic was perfect for the job. So we cuddled. Our findings were not surprising. It's simple enough, sure: while cuddling, when you’re the one being held, all you have got to do is find a way to tactfully roll away without crushing arms or losing bed space. If you’re the one doing the holding, it gets a little bit trickier. You will need to find a way pull your arm out from under your cuddling friend with minor disturbance. But once that's over all you have got to do is roll. Done. Really, if you can, you should be honest about your cuddling habits but for a quick-fix make the hug and roll your go-to move.
Ultimately, the hug and roll is worth a try. It will definitely need to be adapted to your particular cuddling situation but the general methodology proves effective. This episode might have originally aired October 3, 1996, but Ross' advice is timeless: “A hug for her [or him], roll for you.” Thank you, Ross.
