Why a ‘sleep divorce’ may be a good idea: Cleveland Clinic

(WKBN) — A recent study found that more than one-third of Americans opt for a “sleep divorce.”

This means they sleep separately from their partner at night. There are all kinds of reasons why they might choose to do so. For example, they could have different work schedules, or perhaps one of them snores and it’s disruptive to the other.

Doctor Alicia Roth with the Cleveland Clinic says no one should feel guilty about needing to sleep in a separate bed.

“If you are sleep deprived for any reason, you’re not getting enough sleep, your mental health is going to suffer, your physical health is going to suffer,” Dr. Roth said. “It’s going to be that much harder to do things during the day, and I think it causes some resentment in relationships when one person is a good sleeper but they’re disrupting the other person’s sleep.”

If snoring is a big reason why you and your partner sleep in separate beds, it’s probably worth consulting with a doctor. Snoring could be a sign of sleep apnea, which is when a person repeatedly starts and stops breathing while asleep.