Because 'alone time' is overrated, right?

Ex-rugby player Ryan Constable and his wife Kim have got people talking with their very unique sleep setup.

The Belfast couple have fashioned a 5.5-metre long bed that is long enough to comfortably fit the two parents and all of their four children, Corey, 11, Kai, 9, Maya, 6, and Jack, 5.

After receiving a lot of backlash for her odd co-sleeping beliefs, yoga instructor Kim has appeared on TV shows like This Morning and Loose Women to defend her family's practices.

It all happened so naturally

According to Kim, the need for a family-size bed has been slowly growing ever since their eldest, Corey was born. As a baby he slept alongside his parents to best help him settle.

"Then, as more children came along, they wanted to sleep in with us, too," the mum-of-four told Belfast Telegraph. "When the older ones moved out and a younger one moved in, they would come back and say that's not fair - we want to be in the big bed with you all, too."

"In the end we had a king size bed, a super king and a single all joined together to make one huge 18ft bed which was big enough for everyone.

Kim and Ryan Constable. Source: Facebook

"I will be there for them during the night just like I am during the day"

The mother - who also homeschools her children - claims the act of co-sleeping is primarily a practical option. Having all four of them in one bed with her makes it easier for her to check on them in the middle of the night, and makes getting them all to sleep easier too - prior to creating the big bed, bedtimes meant a lot of time spent running around trying to get all four of them settled.

"Some people tend to think you stop being a parent at 8pm at night when your children go to bed, and that they should just settle on their own in a dark room and sleep all night through, but the reality is they don't always do that," she says.

"Whether they have a bad dream or want a drink of water, I will be there for them during the night just like I am during the day.

Ryan and the couple's four kids lined up from youngest to oldest. Source: Facebook

How it all works

Bedtime - for everyone - in the Constable household is between 10-11pm - even the younger ones. Kim will go to sleep whenever her youngest, Jack and Maya, go to bed (sometimes at 9pm if it's been a big day).

The older two will stay up until they are tired - and she thinks it works best that way.

As she puts it, she doesn't force anything onto her children. She believes that scientific evidence supports the idea that the earlier children learn dependence, the earlier they'll learn independence.

Kim doesn't force anything onto her children. Image: Instagram/thesculptedvegan.

But what about s.e.x?

Of course the question everyone wants to know is: when do you Kim and Ryan EVER get to have sex if they are with their kids 24/7?

According to Kim, her and Ryan are very open with their children about needing couple time, and often sleep together in the spare room. If the kids ask why, they tell them that Mummy and Daddy need "a snuggle" ... though if they sleep in the separate room it usually results in the younger kids crawling in, or Kim moving back to the big bed.

The couple also aim to have a lunch or dinner dinner date once a week, just the two of them.

Kim and her son share post-bath cuddles. Image: Instagram/thesculptedvegan.

If everyone's happy, what's the big deal?

Ultimately the thing that matters is that Kim and Ryan are raising happy, healthy children - and by all accounts, they certainly are.

"Our children are happy, independent, self-sufficient characters who just happen to like sharing a bed," says Kim. "When they are ready they ask for their own room and bed as has happened with Kai recently, so we have moved one of the beds out into the spare room for him."

While it not be for everyone, it works for them.