NEW YORK — Reveling in solitude, a third of Americans actually look forward to the time their significant other is away — and not sharing their bed! A survey of 2,000 Americans who live with their partner finds 36 percent appreciate when either they or their partner isn’t at home, as they don’t have to share a bed.
Maybe that’s because the results show that four in five respondents (82%) admit their partner’s sleeping habits consistently wake them up during the night.
Their partner snoring (52%), scrolling through their phone before bed (33%), and getting up at night to use the bathroom (33%) are the most common sleep-disruptive habits. Not only that, but a quarter of respondents also deal with their partner hogging the covers (27%), tossing and turning during the night (25%), or “starfishing” across the bed (21%).
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Avocado Green Mattress, the survey finds that despite these annoyances, the majority of respondents aren’t quite ready to consider a “sleep divorce” from their partner. Seventy-nine percent of respondents share a bed with their partner, while the remaining 21 percent either sleep in different rooms (10%), sleep separately in the same room (5%), or admit it “depends on the night” (6%).
This varies dramatically by generation: only two percent of Gen Zers surveyed say they sleep in a different room than their partner, compared to one in five baby boomers (18%). Regardless of generation, only a fifth (21%) of those who currently share a bed believe they’ll sleep in separate beds in the future — but that’s not to say some couples haven’t found benefits in sleeping separately.
Results reveal that 42 percent of those who sleep separately from their partner believe it’s “rejuvenated” their relationship — and 23 percent believe it’s also improved their sex life with their partner.
Not only that, but 70 percent believe their quality of sleep has increased as a result of sleeping in a separate bed from their partner.
“If your partner snores, consider gifting them a wedge pillow. It can be hard to sleep when someone’s snoring in the same bed as you, but a wedge-shaped pillow can help reduce snoring throughout the night and ensure both you and your partner wake up feeling refreshed,” says spokesperson Christine Carpio, Avocado’s Senior Manager of Community + Social Impact, in a statement.
Even if they’re not looking for a “sleep divorce,” 48 percent of all respondents admit their sleep quality does improve when they’re sleeping in a bed alone, versus sleeping with their partner. However, they might not truly be alone — the survey also asks respondents if they have young children, under the age of six (20% of respondents), or a dog or cat (38% of respondents).
Of those respondents (74% of the total), 24 percent admit they’d rather sleep with their child and/or their pet than they would their partner.
“The good news is, ‘sleep divorce’ isn’t the only way to improve the quality of your sleep. Investing in a mattress, pillows and bedding made of comfortable and supportive materials can improve sleep for you and your partner — as well as child or a pet, if they’re in bed with you — leading to less tossing and turning and significantly better sleep,” says spokesperson Laura Scott, Avocado Green’s Director of Brand Marketing.
Survey methodology:
This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 Americans who live with a partner was commissioned by Avocado Green Mattress between Feb. 27 and March 1, 2024. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
The article reminds me of a tale of two beds:
A man went to work and told his buddies that he and his wife now sleep in separate beds The guys asked him how that worked in a romantic sense
He said “I wear a hat to bed and toss it over to my wife when I get settled in. Sometimes she just tosses it back. Other nights she carries it back.
This article is silly. No work done to show causal link. You could just add easily write: “Want a cleaner apartment? Improve your mental health.”