Have you wondered how many people can sleep in a king size bed? Is it 2, 3, or 4 people sleeping? To understand if a king bed is big enough for those different number of sleepers, let’s remind ourselves of the actual size of a standard king size bed.
We all deserve comfortable sleep and that means getting a spacious bed. King beds are wide enough to give that much needed bed space.
Can 4 people fit or sleep in a king size bed?
No, 4 people cannot sleep in a king size bed comfortably. The recommended number of people who can fit a king size bed is two adults. However, if a couple has a baby, they can comfortably include the toddler and still fit on the king size while leaving enough space between them.
Based on the average size of adults in the United States, you can squeeze up to 4 adult males or 5 adult females on the king bed leaving only 2-inch space between them.
Based on a theory I came up with, king size beds are huge and can accommodate more than 3 people. Remember, the width of a king bed is 76 inches. Now, let’s get all these people to lie side by side length-ways. When referring side by side sleep, we are talking about something like the picture illustration below.
The recommended number of people who can fit a king bed is two.
However, if a couple has a baby, they can comfortably include a baby and still fit on the king size while leaving enough space between them.
Using average estimates provided by CDC, these are the spaces people of different age groups need on a bed in terms of width.
- 1 baby – 6 inches of space
- 1 teenager – 10.2 inches
- 1 Adult female – 12.3 inches
- 1 Adult male – 12.9 inches
Babies
When there is a two-inch space between two sleeping babies, you can fit 9 babies under a year old on a king size bed. The calculation would be something like this:
{(9×6 inches) + (2×7 inches)} = 72 inches of the king bed used up
The correct number of babies that the bed can accommodate is 9.
I plan to do this experiment with real babies in the future. The biggest challenge is finding 9 random babies under 12 months of age and then getting them to lay quietly on the bedside by side even though this experiment only needs a few seconds.
What could go wrong fitting 9 babies on a king size bed and taking a photo? Probably nothing.
6 Teenagers can Sleep on a king size bed
Using the same approach to calculate the number of teenagers and adults that can fit in a single king bed, these are the values I found:
- Teenagers – The bed will fit 6 of them {(6 × 10.2 inches) + (2 × 7 spaces)} = 75.2 inches of king size width used up.
- Adult females – 5 adult females {(5 × 12.3 inches) + (2 × 6 spaces)} = 73.5 inches of the width of the bed used.
- Adult males – the king bed can accommodate 4 adult males (4×12.9 added to 2x5spaces) = 71.6 inches of the king bed’s width utilized.
Six teenagers can fit on the king bed with only 2 inches of space between them.
Adult females
So, yes, mathematically, a king size bed can carry up to 4 adult males or 5 adult females in the United States.
Need proof? Check the next photo…
Can 5 people sleep in a king bed?
Five people lying side by side can technically fit in a king size bed. However, taking the idea of comfort into consideration, 5 people may be overstretching the bed space. Three people will be okay if we are to go for an awesome night sleep without having to maintain tight skin to skin contact.
Below is an actual image of 5 females lying on a king size bed. Mathematically, they can fit on the bed. We are just not certain how comfortable an 8-hour sleep can be in this crowding.
4 adult Males fit in a king size bed
Males tend to have larger waist circumference and therefore, fewer can fit on a king bed.
It is not a good idea to have more than 2 adults share a king bed.
How Many People Should Sleep on King Size bed?
Two people should sleep on a king-size bed. Adding a third person (a baby) is acceptable. With such as huge width, acquiring a king size bed means choosing luxury. This is a luxury of fitting more people on the bed.
At 76 inches wide, a king bed is perfect for only two adults, especially if they both like their own space. So, for two people, you do not have to worry about sleeping position affecting how your partner. King bed has enough space for two average adults.
With such a huge width, choosing king size beds means choosing luxury. What’s more, they’re perfect for couples, especially those who like their own space. When choosing a king size bed frame you don’t need to worry about your sleeping position affecting your partner, as there’s enough space for both of you.
For extra comfort, no more than two adults can be in a standard king bed. A single kid and two adults can fit on the king bed comfortably. Some extra space will often be available to accommodate a pet too.
Can 3 people sleep in a bed?
Yes, 3 people can sleep in a king size bed or other beds larger than the king size. California king, Alaskan king, and Wyoming king can carry 3 people without affecting the comfort during sleep.
You can verify this by using calculations about people’s estimated body sizes.
- Babies – Healthy babies below that age of 1 year have an average waist circumference of 19 inches.
- Teenagers (boys and girls) – The average waist size for teenagers aged between 13 and 19 is about 32.1 inches.
- Adult females – Adult American female’s waist size is 38.7 inches.
- Adult males – American men are really huge. Their waist circumference averages about 40.5 inches.
Detailed statistics can be found here.
Calculating space for each person
Let’s assume that the space a person occupies when sleeping on a bed is the same regardless of the back, stomach, or side sleeping position.
To get the actual figure, we will treat the average waist size as a circumference and then calculate its diameter.
Using this formula, if you remember it and substituting the values, we end up with the following figures as the
- Each baby – Takes up 6 inches of the bed
- Each teenager – Uses 10.2 inches of bed space
- Adult female – 12.3 inches of bed space needed
- Adult male – Utilizes 12.9 inches of bed space on average
How I realized 3 or 4 adults can sleep in a king size bed
So, these are the exact steps of I did the calculation.
- Calculate the amount of space one occupies on the bed.
- Estimate the average space between two individuals sleeping on the bed.
- Divide the total bed width by the amount of space a person takes up.
- Repeat the same steps for babies, teenagers, and then adults.
Why not just take real people and put them on the bed to test this?
The reason why doing something like that might not give an accurate answer is because people have different body sizes.
So, it should make a lot more sense to use the average size of people based on existing data. For this case, I picked data available at CDC to find the estimated calculations.
We also need to consider the fact that a couple would sleep without leaving an inch of space between them. On the contrary, two random, non-intimate people on a bed would need enough space between them when sleeping.
So, how many people can sleep in a king size bed? Our verdict is that two adults and a baby should be fine.