Sleep divorce: To cosleep or not

Getting a sleep divorce may be needed in order to finally get some well deserved rest. Whether due to a sleep disorder or the inability to get used to sleeping with someone else, sleeping apart works for some couples.


The biggest challenge of the sleep divorce for most people is to overcome the social stigma.

Are any of you like me where before you drift off to sleep you cozy up to your man and warm your ice cold feet on his backside? Just me? Sleeping with a partner can be awesome or horrible depending on how you sleep. A bed partner’s sleep disorder could become your new found insomnia. Please don’t harm your snoring spouse just yet.

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As many as 30-40 per cent of couples sleep in different beds. The biggest challenge for most people is to overcome the social stigma. A sleep divorce works for many couples that have problems sleeping together.

If you can’t sleep due to your spouses sleep disorder you need to do what’s best for you to get a good night’s sleep.

Even though sleep is a shared, intimate biological process between couples, it doesn’t always mean a good night’s sleep. A 27 year-old women suffered from PTSD due to her husband’s sleep terror episode where he jumped through the second story window. Spouses of people suffering from REM behaviour disorder and sleep apnea can present with insomnia and mood problems.

Clinique Somnomed Lucy and Desi Sleep Divorce
Lucille Ball (Lucy) and her husband on and off screen Desi Arnaz (Ricky) sleeping in seperate beds due to the Hays Code.

If your spouse is cramping your sleep by snoring, hogging the covers, sweating, or just exacerbating your insomnia by his/her presence, there are many couples opting to sleep apart. If you can’t sleep due to your spouses sleep disorder you need to do what’s best for you to get a good night’s sleep. Whether you want separate beds a la ‘I Love Lucy’ or separate rooms, you need to do what works for both of you.

Photo credit: tinafranklindg via Visualhunt.com / CC BY

If you think you or your spouse may have a sleep disorder, or are experiencing any difficulty with getting to sleep, staying asleep, staying awake during the day, or have any other sleep related questions, feel free to contact Clinique Somnomed by clicking the link below.

Clinique Somnomed AppointmentWe provide quick and convenient sleep testing in your home, in and around the greater Montreal area. We test patients every year for sleep disorders both common and rare.

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