We live in a sleep-obsessed era, wearing smartwatches to bed to monitor how many hours we get, and taking supplements to nod off. But is sleeping separate from your partner a step too far?
Couples are taking their need for sleep a big step further, with a new trend getting a lot of attention online called ‘sleep-divorcing’.
The hashtag #sleepdivorce has been viewed over 1.4m times on TikTok alone, with more and more creators revealing why they’ve decided to sleep separately from their partner – and why it’s actually saved their relationship.
One TikToker, who goes by ‘Momland’, admitted she sleeps downstairs with her daughters, leaving her husband to sleep alone upstairs.
Opening up on why she’s decided to sleep-divorce her husband, the influencer said: “part of the reason is my husband snores, sleeps with a fan and the windows open year long. The other part is my girls and my need to be close with them.”
@welcometomomland If you have the option, I highly recommend sleeping apart. I’m going to try and stay here for a few more nights and see if the Lady of the Night will be detered from crawling out of bed. #sleepdivorce #sleepingapart #husbandandwife #husbandsoftiktok #sleepingalone #sleepingindifferentrooms #cosleeping #cosleepingmom ♬ Romantique – Brigitte Bardot
According to a survey conducted by the Better Sleep Council, over 25% of couples favour sleeping separately to sleeping together.
And sleeping separately doesn’t just mean sleeping in another room, you can sleep in another bed in the same room as your other half, if it means you both get a better, deeper night’s sleep.
According to reporters there is more evidence to suggest that sleeping a part can do more good than bad.
A study by the Paracelsus Private Medical University in Germany explained that: “if you find yourself unable to sleep on a near-nightly basis and you believe that your relationship is suffering as a result, it might be time to file for a sleep divorce”.
Dr Allie Hare, a sleep medicine consultant at Royal Brompton Hospital also said: “after a bad night’s sleep we are less emotionally stable – more likely to be grumpy – and our capacity for empathy also declines.”
So it seems a sleep-divorce may not be as bad as it sounds after all…
