The 1 Sleeping Tip That Will Make Your Relationship Better

Sleeping with your partner may be detrimental to your relationship. Yes, really.

While we all want to imagine a world where we fall asleep in each other’s arms or wake up spooning, the truth is far less glamorous. Someone’s kicking someone, one or both parties are tossing and turning, and then there’s the most annoying side effect of sleeping with someone: snoring. Not only can these things hinder romance in the bedroom, but they can also affect your ability to get enough sleep. And when you’re not the best version of yourself the following day, you are more likely to take that tired, cranky personality out on your partner.

Poor sleep can lead to serious consequences. This is why The Huffington Post cofounder and Editor in Chief Arianna Huffington thinks we should reconsider cuddling. In her new book, The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life One Night at a Time, Arianna explores the correlation between couples who sleep together having a better relationship than those who sleep independently because they get a better night’s sleep.

“COUPLES THAT PRIORITIZE GETTING A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP ARE HAPPIER AND HAVE MORE SEX.”

When we sat down for an interview, I asked her for advice for those who want to be with their significant other but are having a hard time getting quality sleep. She advised: “I think that couples that prioritize getting a good night’s sleep are happier and have more sex because you’re gonna have sex and then go sleep in another room . . . Couples need to sleep. They might sleep in another room because their husband snores or their husband likes to leave the light on for a long time at night or work on the computer. Whatever the reason is, it’s just truly a romantic illusion. I’ve talked to so many couples who want to kill each other in the bedroom because they wake up exhausted and irritated.”

So what’s the key to making it work? “Create a second bedroom!” Arianna said. “It’s not a banishment. You don’t know when you’re going to use it, but I’m saying whenever you feel like ‘I need to get a good night’s sleep tonight; I have to be up at a certain time, I have a presentation to do or something, I don’t want to deal with a different sleep schedule or he’s snoring and I can’t use earplugs or noise-canceling headphones,’ or whatever it is. It’s amazing how many people will put up with it!”

Arianna also said that in Europe and with other cultures, it is very common to have separate bedrooms and it doesn’t say anything less about the relationship — if anything, it may make it stronger. Having a spare room isn’t an option for many of us, but it might be time to test the couch.