Denver couples talk about why sleep divorce works
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Estes Park resident Bonnie Seals and her husband have been married for 47 years and have slept in separate bedrooms for three decades.
Why it matters: A little separation could be the best thing for your health — and marriage.
For Seals and her husband, she says they couldn't be happier.
- He snores and sleeps in. She's an early bird.
- When they have to share a room on vacation, it's "stressful."
The big picture: Sleep is essential for "literally every system in your body," from metabolism to regulating emotion, Molly Atwood, a sleep psychologist at Johns Hopkins, tells Axios.
- Atwood says sleep divorce isn't a new phenomenon, but it's becoming more normalized.
Zoom in: Denver resident Valerie Hanson's parents slept separately, and she knew she wanted the same for her marriage. "It took a while to convince my husband but now he loves it," she says. They don't have to worry about the other person snoring or sweating, or being sick.
- Sharing a bed on a vacation is a treat, Hanson says.
What they're saying: Sleeping in separate rooms doesn't necessarily mean your relationship is on the rocks. "There shouldn't be any stigma attached to it," Atwood says.
Yes, but: Intimacy is also important for your health and relationship. Atwood suggests spending a little time in bed together before parting ways.
Pro tip: If you don't want to ditch your partner but are struggling with sleep, try investing in a bigger bed, setting your AC to 68-70 degrees or using a white noise machine.
- Atwood also recommends a vibrating wrist alarm when one partner has to wake up earlier than the other.
The bottom line: Sleep is important, so there's no shame in the sleep divorce game.