Do you ever wake up at night next to your partner and wish for a good night’s sleep? Maybe one of you is a snorer or blanket hogger? Have you thought about what it’d be like if you slept alone again? Your sleep quality might be getting poorer by the night.
Being in a relationship doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to your own space! Maybe the bed is the one thing you can keep to yourself. In fact, a significant number of couples sleep apart and in their own beds due to various reasons without it affecting their relationship at all.
If you find yourself in any of these six scenarios, it might be time to consider sleeping in separate beds and being in separate rooms.
You Can’t Take the Snoring.
This is usually the top reason why people prefer to sleep alone. Imagine being so exhausted and still unable to sleep at night because of your snoring bedmate.
That’s the last thing you want.
According to the Better Health Channel, snoring affects around 20% of the population. It can be caused by factors such as sleep deprivation, fatigue, late-night drinking, or alcohol abuse.
In turn, sleeping beside a snorer can contribute to you not having enough sleep. You might have to come up with ways just to survive the night – move into a spare bedroom or kick them out of the bed to get some precious snooze.
The more patient among us actually tries to battle it out in other ways until they can’t take it anymore.
READ: How to Sleep Near a Snorer
Your Work Schedules Clash.
It’s no fun being sound asleep and then suddenly awoken with a kick to the back or some movement in bed. This is a nightmare for light sleepers who have partners that are heavy sleepers (even worse, they keep moving around!). This usually happens when both of you have different sleep schedules.
Couples who are working crazy hours or varying night shifts tend to rest better sleeping alone. While cuddling is actually nice and can be good for you, people need to sleep so they can function the next day. Lack of sleep could be detrimental to one’s daily activities.
If you don’t want to sleep in separate bedrooms, we’d recommend getting a mattress that has no partner disturbance to avoid being woken up by the smallest of movements.
Your Partner Steals the Blanket.
Do we spy a blanket thief?
It’s the middle of the night, and you’re peacefully sleeping, feeling nice and warm under a blanket… then it’s taken away from you. You’re left almost as cold as ice. No doubt – your partner is a blanket thief (or are you the blanket thief?).
This is obviously not a good feeling, which could lead to you not having enough sleep. So, if sleeping in separate beds isn’t an option, you might want to consider sleeping with separate blankets.
One of You Sleeps Hot.
Feeling warm in bed is great… until it gets too warm.
Isn’t it nice when you’re cold in winter, and you can snuggle with your partner to warm up since they’re almost like your personal heater? But then, in summer, do you want to push them away because it’s way too hot for physical contact?
Some experts say that setting a temperature of about 18 degrees Celsius or 16 degrees Celsius (with piles of blankets) is best for sleep. However, this doesn’t consider that everyone has a different body temperature while sleeping.
Sometimes our partners end up sweating a river in bed, and they wake up feeling drenched. During the night, you might feel their heat radiation, making it too warm for you to get a proper night’s sleep.
Again, if sleeping separately still isn’t an option, you might want to invest in a breathable mattress with cooling mechanisms to ensure neither of you is sleeping hot.
It Might Be Because of the Kids.
Sometimes married couples are forced to sleep apart due to their baby’s erratic sleeping schedule. This is because mothers need to nurse their babies 8-12 times in a 24-hour period!
In cases like this, it might be best if you and your partner organize sleeping arrangements during the first few months of breastfeeding.
Sometimes, It’s Just Because of Sleep Habits
Night owls make the most of their days at night, which could be a problem for early risers. Late-nighters tend to move around, do work, and spend downtime late at night, not to mention peruse social media or scroll through Tiktok. All these activities can be a problem when sharing a bed with a partner. Although sleep divorce may be a solution to partners with varying sleep habits, a mattress with no sleep disturbance will be enough to do the trick, and keep your partner sleeping and happy.
Make a Conscious Decision with Your Partner
At the end of the day, sleeping separately must be a mutual agreement between any couple. It should keep your relationship happy – not complicate it. It’s safe to say sleeping separately is not for the faint of heart – it’s often for genuinely healthy relationships which really could use some sleep.
You and your partner’s well-being is important too, so don’t let your sleep patterns and sleep problems get in the way of both you having a good night’s rest.
