WHY COUPLES NO LONGER SLEEP TOGETHER

A look into the intimate aspects of this problem.

- Dr. Sanjay Teotia

Some common reasons couples sleep apart include snoring, long working hours, restlessness, parasomnia, childcare demands impacting intimate time, frequent trips of the bathroom or incompatible sleep schedules.

One in four couples sleeps in separate bedrooms. It affects the whole family. Separate sleeping of couples has become increasingly common; no couple should feel embarrassed about the practice. For a lot of couples, sleeping apart can be the best thing for their relationship. There are various families where children have experienced embarrassment, insecurities or concerns as a result of their parents sleeping arrangements. Some kids have wondered if their parent's decision to sleep apart means they are not in love anymore.

Such couples allow their child to sleep in bed with them five times a month.

Since last few years, dual master bedrooms could become the new norm in custom build homes. Today, whether it's because of different sleep schedule, snoring or restless leg syndrome, couples make the decision to sleep separately for a slew of reasons.

Parents can also worry that they are modelling unhealthy behaviour or that their children may want to similarly sleep apart from their significant other someday.

The effects of sleeping in separate rooms can be extremely positive for a relationship, extremely negative for a relationship or anything in between, it all comes down to the couple's reason for wanting to sleep apart in the first place.

Each couple should examine and discuss clearly and specifically their thoughts, feelings and needs around this issue to find a mutually satisfying compromise. Why couples are no longer sleeping in the same bed? 14 per cent of couples did not want to wake their partner when they woke up early for work while 60 per cent admitted to preferring to sleep alone.