Separate Beds: the Key to Happy Marriage?

Looking for lengthy love? It may be time to sleep single. More couples are opting for separate beds, and 60% of custom-built homes in the UK will have dual master bedrooms by 2015, the London Times reports. Many in modern times consider separate beds the end of love, but in fact sleep disturbance is what creates friction, researchers say.

A quarter of couples often take the spare room or sofa for quality sleep, the Sleep Council says. And half of coupled snoozers are woken about 6 times a night by partners, mainly from snoring, fidgeting, and incompatible sleep schedules. “It’s very interesting why couples feel the need to go to bed at the same time and in the same place,” a sociologist said. “It’s societally defined.” (More deep sleep stories.)