‘Better than ever’: Unusual sleep trend transforms couples’ sex lives

Couples are raving about an unusual living arrangement, stating that since adopting it, their love life has taken a surprising turn.

Mara and Christopher Doemland were constantly “at each other’s throats”, that was until they stopped sleeping in the same bed together.

The a stay-at-home-mum of five, 38, said she was perpetually cranky due to a lack of sleep with tots, which was only compounded by her husband’s buzz saw-like snoring.

Meanwhile Christopher, 37, a work-from-home crypto day trader, was equally tired after enduring endless interrupted nights from getting elbowed in the back, the New York Post reports.

In order to survive loud, albeit unintentional, ruckus – the soured sweethearts, who’ve been together for 11 years, decided to split up. But only at bedtime.

It’s so popular, it’s been dubbed a “sleep divorce” – and they’re not the only couple at it.

“Sleeping separately has totally improved our relationship,” Mara told the US publication. “We’re both so much happier.

“Now, there’s more physical touch and closeness between us during the day because we’re not grumpy from trying to sleep together at night.”

Mara and Christopher were ‘at each other’s throats’ until they split up – in the bedroom. Picture: Facebook / Mara Doemland

Mara and Christopher — who has resorted to catching z’s on either the couch, their bedroom floor or snuggled up in a bed with one of the kids for the past seven years — are among the growing number of married couples who are opting for what’s become known as a “sleep divorce”.

Turns out the couple was way ahead of the game when it comes to this surprisingly hot relationship trend.

A new survey conducted by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that one in three wedded pairs in the US have chosen to sleep separately from their spouses in effort to improve their marriages.

While in Australia, a study on behalf of the Sleep Health Foundation in 2019 found approximately 200,000 people who were married or living with their partner slept alone.

The couple adopted a ‘sleep divorce’ and are now thriving. Picture: Facebook / Mara Doemland

The newest report also found that millennial and Gen Z couples — husbands and wives between the ages of 18 to 42 — were the most willing to hit the hay apart, while Gen Xers, Baby Boomers and beyond were much more reluctant to hop on the uncommon boudoir bandwagon.

The bedtime trend, which has been around for several years, has recently started buzzing again on TikTok where the hashtag “SleepDivorce” has raked in more than 394,000 views.

Most of the clips sing the praises of the martial trend — pointing to how refreshed both partners feel when knocking out alone.

New York sex and marriage therapist Megan Fleming explained a sleep divorce can benefit any twosome, regardless of age.

“Getting a good night’s sleep is so important for both partners in a marriage,” she told the New York Post, noting the positive impact restorative rest has on each person’s energy, mood and overall health.

“If someone’s snoring, has a noisy CPAP machine (a device that keeps breathing airways open during sleep) or keeps an odd sleeping schedule, it can cause resentment between the two people.”

Fleming also said getting some solo shut-eye not only helps otherwise happy couples avoid bedtime tension, but it can also assist in steaming things up when the they do decide to hit the sheets together.

“Couples who have a sleep divorce can see it as an opportunity to create some playfulness around intimacy,” she said.

“They can flirt more during the day, take turns visiting each other’s room [for sex] and really become intentional about making that physical connection a priority.”

Alexis Welker and her husband Adam have also started sleeping separately. Picture: Facebook / Alexis Welker

They said it has transformed their sex life. Picture: Facebook / Alexis Welker

Stay-at-home mum-of-four Alexis Welker, agrees, with the 26-year-old stating that sleeping separately added an extra layer of spice to her and husband Adam’s sex life.

“Sex isn’t just in this one shared bedroom anymore,” said Alexis, who’s currently pregnant with their fifth child.

“It can be in his room, my room or wherever we want it to be.”

She and Adam, 30, established their sleep divorce in November 2020 due to his “night owl” sleeping schedule and penchant for scrolling on a brightly lit phone while his wife of seven years tries to doze off.

Their opposing slumber habits were beginning to cause animosity between them, until Alexis suggested Adam move into their spare bedroom.

Now, the lovers enjoy hosting special “sleepovers” in each other’s quarters as a form of foreplay.

“It’s been great,” she said. “We’re not waking up annoyed at each other. We have our own space, I have my own bedroom closet and we miss each other at night.

“We wake up and the first thing we want to do is go to his room and see him.

“It’s like we’re in the honeymoon phase again and the sex is better than ever.”

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reproduced here with permission