Before you shout “separate beds, whaaaaaaaaat?”, according to a recent survey in the US, more and more people are sleeping separately from their partners – and it is good for their relationships. 30 per cent of married or co-habiting couples across the pond reportedly head off to their separate bedrooms at night.
Sleeping apart leads to a better night sleep.
Now, while we find this strange to believe, we also don’t know anyone who doesn’t like sprawling across the sheets without a knee in the groin once in a while. I’ve only ever had a couple of friends who have done this regularly. Nick – whose partner Kate was a rampant sleepwalker – would often wake up, with her shouting at him: “Get those evil mushrooms out the room!” so they decided to get old before their time and he moved into the spare room.
My friend Vic once had a boyfriend that snored so badly, even when she moved to the spare bedroom next door she could feel the vibrations shaking her bed and one day two leaflets – one about snoring aids and another about noise pollution – dropped through the letterbox from an anonymous neighbour.
According to this latest study, other issues that force couples apart are children/babies and different sleep schedules.
So are there some legs to this theory? Apparently scientists think that if we sleep solo we achieve a better and more restful sleep because we reach the deeper levels of shut-eye. When we’re together, the continuous movements and sounds wake each other up, so sleeping alone leads to more harmonious carry-ons during the day and less rows. After all, no one likes to wake up groggy and tired after lying next to a tossing and turning eel for the best part of eight hours.
The scientist running the study also argued that couples can have “good and satisfying relationships sleeping apart.” However, she said that if you are sleeping apart to avoid turmoil, this arrangement could be a symptom of something more serious.
What do you think about this survey? Do you share a bed or do you prefer to sleep in separate beds? Tell us what you think @lovestruck
Tweet
