Biohacker Bryan Johnson reveals he has never shared a bed — or a home — with his girlfriend to protect his sleep. What the research says

Whatever those studies say, sleeping apart is not new in the U.S. Nearly one-third of American adults have moved to another bed or another room to accommodate a partner, according to survey data the American Academy of Sleep Medicine released in July 2025. Among adults 35 to 44, it’s 39%, and men are more likely to leave and sleep in another room than women: 36% against 27%. Atomik Research polled 2,007 adults that June. (Potentially relevant: 42% of men report that they snore, compared to 31% of women).

Unless you are able to sleep on the couch or an existing spare room, this habit could seriously eat into your budget: building a new primary suite costs around $170,517.

What the research actually shows

Two of Johnson’s five studies had couples sleep some nights together and some nights alone. That’s the only setup that can tell researchers whether sharing a bed helps or hurts sleep quality. Both studies are small.

In 2007, an Austrian team followed 10 couples at home for 28 days as they slept at least 10 nights apart and 10 together. Women slept worse when they shared, both based on results from monitoring equipment and by their own account. Men rated their sleep better with a partner, and their sleep quality held up — unless the couple had sex, which lowered it.

Thirteen years later, a German team examined the same question through a sleep lab. They put 12 couples under brain-wave monitoring for four nights. REM sleep (dream-filled rest) rose from 21% of the night alone to 23% shared, with fewer interruptions, though the couples moved around more. Everyone was 18 to 29, so it says nothing about older couples.

The two studies conflict, and neither had more than 12 couples.

That leaves three other studies Johnson shared, and none of them support his thesis that couples are better off sleeping alone. The biggest study followed 55 couples in Melbourne for seven nights for Sleep Health, but nobody in it ever slept alone, so there’s nothing to compare against. Johnson points that out himself. Then there’s a survey of 1,007 adults in southeastern Pennsylvania, wherein bed-sharers reported better sleep and better mental health. But those results are limited to one region and one moment in time, and there could be other factors at play: People who have someone to share a bed with may be healthier overall.

What a second bedroom costs

Zonda’s 2025 Cost vs. Value Report prices a midrange primary suite addition (bedroom, bath and closet) at $170,517. You’re likely to get $55,097 back at resale, or about 32 cents on the dollar. The upscale version costs $351,613 and returns $63,136, which is 18%. Of the 28 projects Zonda tracks, the upscale suite finishes dead last in terms of ROI, and the midrange version is third from the bottom.

And most couples handle this for free, because 37% of adults in the same AASM survey said they go to bed earlier or later than they want to because of a partner.

Johnson’s setup is in another bracket entirely. Two houses means two mortgages or two leases before anyone turns on a light, and that’s just part of his elaborate health protocol, which he told Bloomberg in 2023 runs him about $2 million a year.

Check for sleep apnea before you call a contractor

If snoring is what’s pushing you into separate rooms, considering a doctor before you see a builder. Loud snoring is a common symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says may raise your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. It’s also treatable. Dr. Seema Khosla, a pulmonologist and AASM spokesperson, says, “If it is one partner’s loud snoring that is leading to separate sleep spaces, then you should encourage that partner to talk to a doctor about obstructive sleep apnea.”