Sleeping in separate beds could save your marriage, and sex life might even improve
- Sleep disruption from a partner’s snoring, restlessness or different work schedule – among other reasons – can build resentment in a relationship
- Separate beds could be the solution, and may even improve sex life, but more couples need to get past the stigma of sleeping apart
For many around the world, night-time means curling up in a bed shared with their partner. But a growing trend of couples opting for separate beds may help spouses get better sleep and alleviate marital problems, experts say.
According to a 2017 survey from America’s National Sleep Foundation, almost one in four married couples sleep in separate beds.
Jill Lankler, a New York clinical psychologist and life coach, says while that number seems high given the stigma that may still exist around separate beds, she’s seen more couples open to trying it.
“People are losing sleep. They are waking each other up, and there is this resentment that begins to build in a relationship,” she says. “If you don’t address that, obviously your relationship is going to suffer, your work suffers. It’s this cascade.”
