Married couples typically take their commitments to one another very seriously. Even when marriages have gone through major challenges, spouses are often eager to work with one another to preserve the relationship and improve their dynamic.
Some couples go to individual counseling or couples therapy to help them better communicate and resolve disagreements. Other couples may change up their household dynamic, possibly by reworking the distribution of household responsibilities. Other times, struggling spouses might try something more unusual, like a sleep divorce. A sleep divorce occurs when spouses begin maintaining separate bedrooms. Is sleeping separately from a spouse a step toward divorce or a way to prevent marital dissolution?
Sleep divorces can make a big difference
Whether or not a sleep divorce can help preserve a marriage largely depends on the motivation behind the sleep divorce. If the spouses constantly fight with one another and do not enjoy sharing personal space with one another, a sleep divorce is unlikely to resolve the underlying issues in the relationship.
However, if health issues or incompatible schedules are what have created strain on the marital relationship, then a sleep divorce might actually help. Perhaps one spouse recently transferred to second or third shift, while the other still has to get up quite early to get the kids to school every morning. Maybe one spouse snores or has sleep apnea. The noises that they or their Machinery make at night could interrupt the other’s sleep.
Getting insufficient or poor-quality sleep can affect someone’s mood and health. Therefore, if a lack of sleep or interrupted sleep is the primary factor straining a relationship, a sleep divorce could help preserve a marriage.
Couples considering a sleep divorce may also want to look into other ways to protect themselves, such as negotiating a postnuptial agreement while their marriage is still functional. That way, even if the sleep divorce does not prevent a real divorce, the spouses could potentially reduce the degree of conflict involved in their divorce proceedings.
Those who look at marital issues realistically and explore possible solutions can feel more confident that divorce is their last resort. Learning more about family law trends, including sleep divorces, can help some people going through rough patches in their marriages, regardless of whether a marriage ultimately survives or not.