Sleep divorce: a new kind of initimacy for couples?

FOR many couples, sharing a bed is a symbol of intimacy, but it doesn't always guarantee a restful night's sleep.

- GERRY CUPIDO

This is true for people who have to sleep next to a partner whose snoring keeps them up all night, or whose tossing and turning turns into a nightly struggle.

This is where the idea of a “sleep divorce”, essentially sleeping in separate beds or rooms, comes into play.

While the term might sound dramatic, sleep divorce has nothing to do with ending a marriage.

Instead, it’s about prioritising rest by choosing to sleep separately.

A sleep divorce refers to a mutual decision between partners to sleep separately in order to improve the quality of their sleep and, often, their relationship.

It doesn't necessarily mean that there's trouble in paradise.

Rather, it acknowledges that certain sleeping habits, like snoring, restless-ness, different bedtimes, or even tem-perature preferences, can make sharing a bed a nightly battle.