4 in 5 People in Relationships Are Losing Sleep

A third of Americans look forward to nights their partner isn’t home — because they get the bed to themselves, according to new research. The survey of 2,000 Americans who live with a partner found 36% 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%) were found to be 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 found 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% 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 2% of Gen Zers surveyed said 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 revealed that 42% of those who sleep separately from their partner believe it’s “rejuvenated” their relationship — and 23% believe it’s also improved their sex life with their partner.

Not only that, but 70% 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,” said Christine Carpio, Senior Manager of Community + Social Impact for Avocado. Even if they’re not looking for a “sleep divorce,” 48% of all respondents admit their sleep quality does improve when they’re sleeping in a bed alone, versus sleeping with their partner.

But they might not truly be alone — the survey also asked 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% admitted 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,” said Laura Scott, Director of Brand Marketing for Avocado Green.