Why You Should Leave the Marital Bed Today

sleeping together bad for health, marital bed causes sleep loss


A new study suggests that couples’ health (and the health of their relationship) might dramatically improve if they considered sleeping apart. 

Dr. Neil Stanley, a sleep specialist, addressed the British Science Festival and revealed how sharing a bed can cause serious problems.  Snoring, tossing and turning, plus duvet and space-hogging can rob sharers of precious sleep and cause bad temper, irritation and eventually ill health. One prominent sleep study revealed that, on average, couples suffered as much as 50% more sleep disturbances if they shared a bed.
  
Dr. Stanley sees sleep deprivation as linked to depression, heart disease, strokes, lung disorders, traffic and industrial accidents and divorce.  Yet sleep loss is largely ignored as an important aspect of health.

A New Phenomenon

Admitting he does not sleep in the same bed as Mrs. Stanley, the good doctor reminds us that historically we did not share our beds.  Says he:

'The modern tradition of the marital bed started with the industrial revolution, when people moving to overcrowded towns and cities found themselves challenged for of living space.  Prior to then it was perfectly common for married couples to sleep in separate rooms. In ancient Rome, the marital bed was the arena for sexual relations but not for sleeping'.

Despite these findings, British couples remain reluctant to sleep apart, with only 8% of those in their 40s and 50s sleeping in separate rooms.  However Dr. Stanley suggests that people should at least consider sleeping separately:
  
"It's about what makes you happy. If you've been sleeping together and you both sleep perfectly well, then don't change, but don't be afraid to do something different”.

More Info

BBC News Article:  Bed Sharing Is Bad For Your Health