Sleep divorces are on the rise

Is your partner a serial snorer or sheet-hog? You may want to consider a “sleep divorce” – or sleeping separately for sleep-related (not conflict-related) reasons.

According to a recent survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 35% of married/partnered adults sleep in a separate room from their partner either consistently or on occasion. That’s up from ~25% who did so in 2017 (per National Sleep Foundation data).

As you may expect, the results vary by age and sex.

• Millennials are the lead sleep-divorcers, with 43% occasionally or consistently sleeping in another room to accommodate a bed partner. Next comes Gen X (33%), followed by Gen Z (28%).
• Men tend to be the movers in sleep divorces. Nearly half of men reported being the one to move to another bedroom or sleep on a sofa, in comparison to a quarter of women.

👀 Looking ahead… Much like the promise of hiring a speech therapist, this trend could become even more pronounced in the future. More than 40% of respondents in the AASM study who did not have a sleep divorce said they wished they did “at least sometimes.”

😴 Getting the right amount of sleep is important for relationships. Studies show those in relationships who consistently experience poor sleep are more likely to engage in conflict with their partners. Sleep loss decreases levels of empathetic accuracy, meaning those who don’t get enough sleep may be less able to understand or interpret their partners’ feelings.