Bed bugged? ‘Sleep divorce’ may be key to healthier relationship

NEW YORK — With so many studies pointing to the benefits of a good night’s sleep, maybe the idea of “sleep divorce” is actually far healthier for marriages than one might think. That is, sleeping apart from your partner may be good for your body and your relationship, according to a new study.

In a poll of 2,000 American adults commissioned by bedding company Slumber Cloud, nearly half of the respondents said they would rather sleep alone than sleep in the same bed as their romantic partner. Quite understandably too: about 1 in 5 felt their partner is the most significant factor interrupting their sleep on a nightly basis.

Couple in bed
With so many studies pointing to the benefits of a good night’s sleep, maybe the idea of “sleep divorce” is actually far healthier for marriages than one might think.

What’s the problem? Half of the respondents say their partner snores too loud, while 37% cite body heat as the reason they’d rather sleep alone. A third say they battle sleeplessness while also battling for the covers with their significant others. One in five men complain they find themselves waking up to their partner’s hair in their face.

On the other hand, three quarters of participants sacrifice their own rest by remaining in an uncomfortable in the bed so as not to wake up their partner. Now that’s love.

So perhaps a so-called “sleep divorce” is in order. Some couples are staying together but sleeping in different beds to minimize the sleep disturbances their partner causes. One in 12 couples surveyed are already giving the practice a shot, while 30 percent have discussed the idea.

Sleeping in one bed or two has long bedeviled couples. Before the 1960s, many married couples still slept in separate beds. Yet now after decades of most couples sleeping in the same bed together — married or not — the subject is not quite so taboo. Just 31 percent of respondents believe a successful relationship entails partners being required to share the bed, while a quarter agree that going their separate ways at night could actually improve a relationship.

Still, the happiest couples in the survey proved to be the ones that slept together. Those who never slept apart were found to be twice as likely to rate the satisfaction of their relationship a 10 out of 10 compared to couples who said they “always” sleep separately (58 percent to 27 percent, respectively.)

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