Separate beds aren’t a sign of marital strife — they’re the key to better health and a happier relationship.

A survey showed that one in six couples has resorted to sleeping apart not because they can’t stand each other, but because they’re desperate for a decent night’s sleep.

One party’s snoring, fidgeting, or simply the fact that they crawl in at midnight when the other person bedded down hours before, can leave couples craving what’s been emotively dubbed a “sleep divorce.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the report was conducted by a mattress company — but some experts agree with its findings.

Not only that, they say breaking up a relationship at bedtime should be encouraged. Neil Stanley has been conducting sleep research for 35 years — and sleeping not just in a separate bed, but in a different room, from his partner for almost as long.

In 2005, he co-authored a study in which couples wore a device as they slept that monitored waking and motion: The results showed that when one partner stirred, the other did, too. “In fact, a third of your sleep disturbance is caused by your partner,” he says.

The impact of this disturbance on your health, and the health of your relationship, can be huge.

A 2016 analysis of previous studies by Paracelsus Medical University in Germany showed that sleep issues and relationship problems tend to occur simultaneously.

Research also suggests those who sleep poorly have higher rates of divorce — and if a person sleeps badly, they lack empathy and are more argumentative. Plus, just one bad night’s sleep makes you four times more likely to catch a cold, according to a 2015 study in the journal Sleep.

“Poor sleep affects your performance, relationships, increases your risk of accidents and, in the long term, is associated with an increase in weight, type 2 diabetes and depression,” adds Stanley.

This is because each cell in the body has its own “clock,” so prolonged disruption to these rhythms through lack of sleep has a knock-on effect on every cell.

After all, sleep is the most selfish thing that we can do. You can’t share your sleep with anybody, so why share your bed?

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【烦躁】fánzào fidget behave or move nervously or restlessly

【连锁反应】liánsuǒ fǎnyìng knock-on effect something that causes other things to happen

分床睡并不代表婚姻不和睦，反而对更加健康和幸福的婚姻关系至关重要。

一项调查显示，六分之一的伴侣之所以选择分床睡，并不是因为他们无法忍受对方，而是因为他们渴望睡个好觉。

一方打鼾、不停翻身，或者仅仅是因为对方在几小时前就上床睡觉了，而他们却在半夜爬进被窝，这些都会导致伴侣们想要分床睡。

该报告是由一家床垫公司发布的，这或许并不令人意外，但专家表示认同该调查结果。

不仅如此，他们还表示应该鼓励分床睡。尼尔▪斯坦利研究睡眠已经有35年了，在几乎同样长的时间里，他不仅和伴侣分床睡，而且分房睡。

2005年，他与人合作开展了一项研究，在该研究中，夫妻在睡觉时佩戴一种设备，监测他们的清醒状态和动作：结果显示，当一方在睡觉时动弹，另一方也会动。他说：“事实上，你三分之一的睡眠障碍是由你的伴侣造成的。”

这种睡眠障碍对身体健康和婚姻和谐的影响非常大。

2016年，德国帕拉塞尔苏斯医科大学对以往研究的分析表明，睡眠问题和婚姻关系问题往往同时发生。

研究还表明，睡眠不好的人离婚率更高，如果一个人睡眠不好，他们缺乏同理心，更爱争论。此外，根据《睡眠》杂志2015年的一项研究，一个晚上睡不好会让你患感冒的几率增加四倍。

斯坦利补充道：“睡眠不好会影响你的工作表现、人际关系、增加发生意外的风险，而且从长远来看，睡眠不好还会导致体重增加，并增加2型糖尿病和抑郁症的患病几率。”

这是因为人体的每个细胞都有自己的生物钟，因此，睡眠不足对生物钟节律的长期破坏会对每个细胞产生连锁反应。

毕竟，睡觉是我们能做的最自私的事情。你不能和任何人分享你的睡眠，那么为什么要和别人分享你的床呢？(chinadaily.com.cn)