{"id":72605,"date":"2025-11-18T11:33:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T16:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/?p=72605"},"modified":"2025-11-18T11:14:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T16:14:15","slug":"separate-beds-may-improve-your-sleep-but-your-relationship-might-pay-the-price-new-study-suggests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/relationships\/separate-beds-may-improve-your-sleep-but-your-relationship-might-pay-the-price-new-study-suggests\/","title":{"rendered":"Separate Beds May Improve Your Sleep \u2014 But Your Relationship Might Pay the Price, New Study Suggests"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many couples, a good night\u2019s sleep feels like the ultimate relationship goal. And with trends like \u201csleep divorce\u201d or the Scandinavian sleep method gaining popularity, more partners are trying out life in separate beds\u2014or even separate rooms\u2014to get some rest. However, according to a new study, sleeping apart may come with emotional downsides that couples often overlook.<\/p>\n

Researchers in Taiwan surveyed 860 older heterosexual couples to understand how sleeping arrangements impact emotional well-being. Their findings, published in BMC Public Health<\/a><\/em>, revealed a clear pattern: older couples who slept in separate rooms reported poorer psychological well-being than those who shared a bed.<\/p>

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The study measured factors such as happiness, life satisfaction, and a sense of fulfillment, and compared them to couples\u2019 sleep arrangements. Surprisingly, sharing a home was less important for well-being than sharing a sleeping space. The researchers concluded that how couples sleep is a \u201csignificant factor\u201d in their overall emotional health and should be viewed within the context of the relationship itself.<\/p>\n

Wendy Troxel, Ph.D., a sleep expert and senior scientist at RAND Corporation, spoke with Fox News Digital<\/em> about the findings. Troxel, who wasn\u2019t involved in the research, said the results could reflect the impact of emotional distance.<\/p>\n

\"At first glance, that appears to support the commonly held belief that sleeping separately signals something negative in a relationship,\" she said.<\/p>\n

She also pointed out what makes this study stand out. \"What\u2019s unique about this new study is that it suggests the couple\u2019s sleeping arrangement itself may influence well-being, highlighting how intimately sleep and relationships are linked in supporting health across the lifespan.\"<\/p>\n

However, Troxel cautioned that the study was cross-sectional, meaning it shows a link but not a clear cause and effect. In other words, couples who sleep apart may already be dealing with issues that affect both sleep and mental health.<\/p>

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\"It may be that older couples who sleep apart already face health or sleep challenges, such as chronic illness, sleep apnea or insomnia, which affect both their decision to sleep separately and their mental health,\" she explained. She added that researchers also didn\u2019t explore why couples chose separate rooms, which can make a major difference in how that choice affects them.<\/p>\n

Troxel noted that older adults face \u201cdouble vulnerability\u201d when it comes to sleep and mental wellness. Up to half of adults over 60 report insomnia or disrupted sleep. And as people age, sleep naturally becomes lighter, more fragmented, and often shifts to earlier hours. At the same time, mental health challenges like depression, loneliness and anxiety become more common, creating what Troxel calls a \u201cfeedback loop that undermines mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, she emphasized that there\u2019s no one \u201cright\u201d way for couples to sleep. \"For some, sharing a bed fosters closeness and security,\" she said. \"For others, especially when sleep disorders or incompatible habits are at play, separate bedrooms can be a wise and health-promoting choice, provided that couples arrive at this decision through open and honest communication.\"<\/p>

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Physical closeness does offer real benefits. Cuddling releases oxytocin\u2014the \u201clove hormone\u201d\u2014which lowers stress and boosts feelings of safety. However, snoring, tossing and turning, or even variations in body temperature can create sleep disruptions of their own.<\/p>\n

\"Chronic poor sleep erodes mood, empathy and patience, key ingredients in a healthy relationship,\" Troxel noted.<\/p>\n

For couples who sleep apart, Troxel encourages finding small ways to stay emotionally connected, like sharing a nighttime wind-down routine before parting for the night.<\/p>\n

\"Ultimately, the healthiest sleeping arrangement is the one that supports consistent, quality sleep, emotional connection and long-term well-being,\" she said.<\/p>\n

×<\/span><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why the choice to share \u2014 or split \u2014 a bed could shape relationship health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":72614,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"2normal","fbia_status":""},"categories":[15661],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nSeparate Beds May Improve Your Sleep \u2014 But Your Relationship Might Pay the Price, New Study Suggests - FamilyToday<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A new study suggests sleeping apart may lower couples\u2019 well-being, despite the growing trend of \u201csleep divorce\u201d and separate bedding methods.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/relationships\/separate-beds-may-improve-your-sleep-but-your-relationship-might-pay-the-price-new-study-suggests\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Separate Beds May Improve Your Sleep \u2014 But Your Relationship Might Pay the Price, New Study Suggests\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A new study suggests sleeping apart may lower couples\u2019 well-being, despite the growing trend of \u201csleep divorce\u201d and separate bedding methods.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/relationships\/separate-beds-may-improve-your-sleep-but-your-relationship-might-pay-the-price-new-study-suggests\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FamilyToday\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-18T16:33:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-18T16:14:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.familytoday.com\/2025\/11\/Couple-Sleeping_credit-Adobe-Stock.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sharon Kirk\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"BN Media, LLC\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/famtoday\"],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wp-media.familytoday.com\/2020\/03\/bnmedia-logo-lg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/wp-media.familytoday.com\/2020\/03\/bnmedia-logo-lg.png\",\"width\":1315,\"height\":311,\"caption\":\"BN Media, LLC\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/\",\"name\":\"FamilyToday\",\"description\":\"Here today, better tomorrow.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/relationships\/separate-beds-may-improve-your-sleep-but-your-relationship-might-pay-the-price-new-study-suggests\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wp-media.familytoday.com\/2025\/11\/Couple-Sleeping_credit-Adobe-Stock.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/wp-media.familytoday.com\/2025\/11\/Couple-Sleeping_credit-Adobe-Stock.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Adobe Stock\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/relationships\/separate-beds-may-improve-your-sleep-but-your-relationship-might-pay-the-price-new-study-suggests\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/relationships\/separate-beds-may-improve-your-sleep-but-your-relationship-might-pay-the-price-new-study-suggests\/\",\"name\":\"Separate Beds May Improve Your Sleep \\u2014 But Your Relationship Might Pay the Price, New Study Suggests - 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