There’s nothing worse than waking up red-eyed and cranky, feeling like you’ve had a total of zero hours sleep.
Obviously, there are a number of causes that can attribute to a poor night’s sleep – stress, temperature, noise.
But one of which could actually be… the person sleeping next to you.
Maybe your partner is a snorer. Maybe they talk in their sleep. Or maybe they toss and turn all night, making your bed feel like a carnival ride (not in the… good way).
Bringing up with your partner that they’re a terrible bed guest is never an easy conversation, but according to Psychology Today, it’s actually a massive issue, and you could be completely sleep-incompatible for a number of reasons. including different schedules, a poor sleep environment or different sleeping patterns.
According to Psychology Today, 30 per cent of Americans would rather sleep separately from their other half in what is becoming known as a ‘sleep divorce’.
But as grim as that sounds, experts are saying it could be a good thing. Rather than one feeling salty at the other for disrupting their sleep, a ‘sleep divorce’ could lead to a happier, healthier relationship.
Hmm. We don’t know about that one.
“Poor sleep also can have negative effects on relationships,” Michael Breus, ‘The Sleep Doctor’, of Psychology Today reports.
“Lack of sleep may diminish the positive feelings we have for our partners. Researchers found people with lower quality sleep demonstrated lower levels of gratitude, and were more likely to have feelings of selfishness, than those who slept well.
“People who slept poorly showed less of a sense of appreciation for their partners.
“What’s more, poor sleep on the part of one person in the relationship had a negative effect on feelings of appreciation and gratitude for both partners.”
If a ‘sleep divorce’ sounds like something you could both benefit from (and you’re… brave) Dr Breus says you should “tell your partner that you really love them but you’d be (less resentful of their sleeping habits) if you slept in separate beds”.
He adds: “Suggest trying it for one or two nights a week and see how it goes.”
RIP.