Married couples going through difficult times in their relationships may employ a variety of creative solutions. In recent years, “sleep divorces” are gaining traction as a way to cope with marital discord. Some news outlets report that as many as one in three couples have attempted to sleep divorce as a way of resolving friction between spouses.
Although a sleep divorce is not a legal label, it is a strong an indicator that legal divorce might soon be on the horizon for a couple. Those desperate to make a change may need to do more than alter their sleep arrangements.
What is a sleep divorce?
A sleep divorce is essentially a decision to start sleeping in separate rooms. Spouses may decide to sleep separately for numerous reasons unrelated to the status of the marriage. Mostly Sometimes, they may keep very different schedules. Other times, medical issues like sleep apnea make them dependent on noisy machinery. More often than not, sleep divorces are arrangements designed to eliminate the intimate exchanges that frequently occur before bed. This includes the private conversations most couples engage in as the day winds down. Retreating to separate spaces avoids these intimate exchanges.
How do sleep divorces help?
People who don’t get enough rest can become very irritable. Especially when they know their spouse is to blame, they may begin to resent their spouse for their lack of sleep. A sleep divorce helps alleviate pressure that can cause real friction between spouses. However, sleep divorces don’t always resolve the conflicts that spouses have with each other. In some cases, sleeping separately allows both spouses to rest better but does not prevent them from feeling frustrated and angry toward one another.
In scenarios where sleep divorces do not alleviate resentment, spouses may eventually decide that a legal divorce filing is the best solution. It is worth noting that many of the couples attempting sleep divorces are older and have been married for decades. They are among those most at risk of a legal divorce, as gray divorce rates have skyrocketed in recent years.
Those planning a divorce, or trying to avoid one, may need to start educating themselves about the process either way. Not every attempt to work on a marital relationship succeeds. Sleep divorces sometimes help preserve marriages but may be a sign that a couple may not be able to stay married indefinitely. People who know what to expect if they have to follow a sleep divorce with a legal divorce filing can feel empowered to make a major change when a small one doesn’t suffice.
