Is It Healthier to Sleep in Separate Beds?

Getting good quality sleep is critical to staying healthy. If you and your partner are not sleeping well, it may be time for a conversation about setting up separate sleeping areas. When making this choice, it’s important to make sure that both beds will have room for both the folks in the relationship; nobody should be sleeping in a twin bed.

Don’t Starve the Relationship

According to sleep experts at Naturepedic, sleeping in separate beds may be better for your overall health and sleep quality, but it can be hard on your relationship over time. To avoid any loneliness or resentment that may build up over time, do make sure that both parties in the relationship have a standing invitation if they find themselves growing lonely.

It’s important to note that the main justification for sleeping in separate beds is snoring. If you know that you snore, consider getting a sleep study done. The addition of a CPAP machine could mean that you and your partner can both sleep better and stay snuggled up in the same bed.

Be Honest With Yourself

For those who struggle with insomnia, sharing a bed can be extremely frustrating. First of all, they can sleep and you, obviously, can’t. Secondly, any ritual that you have participated in to make sleep easier to reach will be disrupted by your sleeping partner.

If you have fought the battle with insomnia and made an uneasy truce, changing your sleeping habits may lead you to again

• struggle to fall asleep
• struggle to stay asleep
• fight the hamster wheel of anxious thoughts that often come with insomnia

To reduce this risk, you and your partner may do better with separate bedrooms. Again, make sure that each space is well-apportioned and comfortable. You may want to make a date outside regular sleeping times for intimacy to avoid breaking up the rituals that make it possible for you to manage your sleeplessness. Finally, if you are putting one member of the relationship out of the master suite, make sure the insomniac has a private bath to cut down on noise and light disruptions.

Owls Vs. Larks

If you have built a habit of getting up early, your night owl partner may struggle to put up with your early

• alarm clock
• light use
• noise creation

Similarly, a lark may be extremely frustrated by the bedtime habits of their beloved owl. To avoid conflict, separate sleeping areas may help. Interestingly, many people prefer to sleep in separate beds to avoid turning down a partner who desires intimacy. For example, one partner may love morning sex while another partner may have no interest in it. The conflicts over such sexual pressure may leave both partners feeling hurt and unloved.

Separate sleeping space can be an oasis of quiet and comfort. If you miss your partner, consider setting up a special code word that you can text to one another when you’re feeling lonely, then arrange a meeting spot and a date.