Sharing a bed is considered a hallmark of marriage by many people. Most married couples share a bedroom and the same bed in modern America, an arrangement which always doesn’t work as well as sitcoms might lead you to believe.
Especially if one spouse is a light sleeper, sharing a bedroom could affect their quality of sleep and by extension, their marriage. In recent years, more couples have considered or tried a sleep divorce. Unlike an actual divorce, a sleep divorce does not involve the end of a marriage but just the end of a couples’ time sharing a bed.
Some people may worry that by sleeping separately, they could harm their marital relationship. Is a sleep divorce more dangerous than the impact of snoring or other late-night interruptions for a marriage?
Poor sleep leads to more marital fights
There is plenty of research about the physical and psychological consequences of sleep deprivation on an individual. People have a harder time regulating their emotions and functioning at their peak mental capabilities when they don’t get enough sleep.
In a relationship where one spouse isn’t getting enough sleep, arguments are more likely to occur. This is particularly true if the spouse struggling to get enough rest has reason to blame their partner for their exhaustion. Snoring and sleep apnea are among the reasons why one person’s sleep could affect the other person’s rest.
Compared with the provable consequences of long-term sleep deprivation, the strain on the relationship caused by sleeping in separate rooms is not nearly so serious. The nightly separation gives each person a chance to truly rest.
Couples attempting a sleep divorce may want other protection
Some people actually end their marriages because of constant snoring and the effect it has on their health. If you are at the point of considering a divorce because you can’t get enough sleep, a sleep divorce could be a good option.
You may want to take other steps to protect yourself if your marriage is on tenuous ground, like drafting a marital agreement in case getting more rest doesn’t change your opinion on the matter. Exploring every option can help those considering divorce to decide on the best step to take for their unique situation.