What to Know About Mormons Shaking Beds and "Soaking"

For those who are not part of the Mormon religion, there are plenty of things that still fascinate and even confuse them about the rules and customs that Mormons follow. Maybe this is thanks in part to shows like The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Or, it's the brutal honesty on social media these days. Either way, one thing many want to know about is why Mormons shake beds.

Yes, of all the things to be curious about inside the religion with deep roots in Salt Lake City, Utah, it's the bed-shaking and "soaking" of it all that have garnered the most questions. According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, some rules that Mormons follow include dressing conservatively, expressing strong morals, and remaining dedicated to family. Another obvious rule is that there is no sex before marriage, which is where bed-shaking comes in for some Mormons.

There don't appear to be any official teachings from the Mormon church about bed shaking. However, according to Mormons on TikTok, some of them shake beds to get around the whole no sex before marriage thing. One user who often interviews students at Brigham Young University and other religious colleges has asked questions about bed shaking.

According to students who are Mormon and who follow and believe in the religion, some Mormons shake the bed for the couples that want to have intercourse without actually moving themselves. For some, this means they haven't actually had sex and that they are technically following the long-standing rule of no sex before marriage as a Mormon. It's a loophole of sorts, though it's not clear if it really does follow the rules.

The idea is that someone shaking the bed causes movement for the couple and allows them to kind of, sort of, be intimate with each other. Again, this still does seem to break some rules, but for some Mormons, it's a common custom. In one video from the same TikTok user, a student admitted to being paid to shake a bed for a couple.

You can't have bed shaking without soaking, though. According to Men's Health, soaking is when a man puts his penis inside of a female partner's vagina. They then lay in the bed and have someone else shake the bed to cause movement. Heather Gay shared on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City that soaking is "like a dog in a bun."

She also said that "hump jumping" is a myth. However, given that the younger generation on TikTok have shared their own experiences with hump jumping, or jumping on beds for other Mormons, it might not be the myth she believes it to be. There is a lot about the more secretive side of Mormons' lives that people have to learn, apparently.