Sleeping in separate beds is all it’s cracked up to be
Bottom Line: I want to be crystal clear that I love my wife. I also love having the opportunity to sleep in the same bed as my wife. At the same time, we both love each other more when we’re not waking each other up during the week. My schedule is a bit of an extreme example. I’m in bed at seven, up at three and I certainly don’t expect Ashley to unnecessarily keep a similar schedule. For the first several years of our marriage we did the traditional thing, sleeping in the same bed all the time. Inevitably she’d wake me up when she’d come to bed and I’d wake her up when I’d get up in the morning. Then one day I proposed moving into a guest bedroom during the week. That was about the best possible decision.
For the past few years we’ve slept in separate bedrooms at night but the same on the weekend. It’s one more reason we look forward to the weekend. It’s worked out all the way around. For anyone considering the idea. I’d encourage it if it’s an option for you. According to the National Sleep Foundation there are a lot of people who’d like to do it. Their recent study found...
- 12% of couples do sleep in separate beds at least some of the time
- 31% of married couples who don’t would prefer to
In the case of the near third of married couples who’d like to, for some the reason they don’t is the lack of ability to do so. After all it requires an open bed in the house. However, for those who do, there’s concern about the stigma of sleeping in separate beds which has historically been associated with marital problems. If that’s you and it’s an option... I say try it out. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing thing. And there's a lot to be said for a better night’s sleep.