Jun 14, 2026
What once served as a telltale sign of marital hardship is increasingly becoming, for some, a necessary step to keep the peace.
“I hear they sleep in separate beds” used to be a salacious insinuation that a couple was not just facing, but resigning themselves to, intimacy death. But, it seems the stigma around the practice does not ring true for many — in fact, it can be the complete opposite, signifying a healthy solution to a common problem.
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Architects in California and beyond have been fielding more requests for dual his-and-hers master bedrooms, often linked by a door, shared closet or bathroom.
Some in the business have charmingly dubbed the extra quarters “snore rooms” for their primary purpose: giving loved ones a comfortable place to escape to when their partner’s sleep habits are driving them mad.
This phenomenon is on the rise for a few reasons, including, interestingly enough, sleep tracking apps and wearables.
Fosters a “calm, grown-up home”
The trend has grown enough over the years to warrant coverage by everyone from developer blogs to Architectural Digest, which at one point referred to second master bedrooms as “the hottest new amenity in luxury homes.”
One London designer told Woman & Home that such an addition is now a common ask among her clients, though some are still shy about broaching the subject. She thinks a secondary sleeping space is conducive to “a calm, grown-up home” for not just those dealing with disruptive afflictions like snoring, but also those who have differing sleep schedules or habits than their bedmate.
In an American Academy of Sleep Medicine survey in 2025, 31% of Americans admitted to practicing “sleep divorce.” Despite the negative connotation of their epithet, the organization outlines it as a means to be more diligent about one’s “sleep environment practice” to improve sleep health — and, to prevent relationship strain originating from the bedroom before it even begins. Some have even credited the change with saving their relationship.
“When our sleep is compromised due to a disruptive partner, resentment can grow. Poor sleep also leads to diminished empathy, patience and understanding,” AASM Spokesperson Dr. Seema Khosla wrote in a release about the group’s findings.
She added that if things like snoring, temperature or noise preferences are literally keeping you up at night, “a thoughtful conversation with the bed partner can result in a stronger relationship… it has more to do with mutual respect regarding the sanctity of the sleep space than with a troubled relationship.”
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Tech is revealing the reality of bad sleep
Sleeping in individual beds doesn’t only yield benefits for your relationship and mood, but also your physical health. And after sleep tracking devices reveal how poor your sleep stats are, it pushes many people to consider it.
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Tech company Resmed, which manufactures a number of sleep monitoring tools, says by its own research that the use of wearable bedtime trackers has soared more than 300% in the last year as “awareness of sleep’s importance continues to grow and more people understand its connection to long-term health.”
In a global survey of 30,000 people, the company found that 93% of people who utilize such devices end up making lifestyle changes based on the data they’re presented with. Also, 39% of respondents said their partner interrupts their sleep regularly (at least once per week).
Psychologists, like those at the Therapy Group of DC, note that chronically getting a bad night’s sleep can foster irritability, deteriorated cognitive function, cardiometabolic diseases, depression, and more, while a sleep divorce can boost emotional bandwidth and “actually fuel daytime connection.”
But, a successful separation must also be approached thoughtfully.
“Rather than fostering a poor sleep environment for appearances, the key is to communicate preferences and be intentional about spending time together before retiring to separate sleep spaces,” wrote Khosla, while the Therapy Group suggests setting ground rules, especially when it comes to maintaining physical connection outside of sleep.
And if a sleep divorce sounds too serious for you, but sleep disruption is real, there are always options like split adjustable mattresses or the Scandinavian sleep method, in which each member of a couple has their own duvet.
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Becky Robertson is a senior staff reporter with Moneywise and a lifelong writer. Along with years in the journalism industry at outlets such as blogTO and Quill & Quire, she's participated in writing residencies at the Banff Centre and Writing Workshops Paris. With 33 countries visited, she finds travel to be one of her greatest inspirations.
