According to the 5th annual sleep survey, published in Royal Philips' Wake Up Call: Global Sleep Satisfaction Trends report and published in March 2020, 36% of respondents say they sleep separately from their partner to maintain sleep improve quality.
Márcia Assis, neurologist, sleep doctor and head of Absono (Brazilian Sleep Association), explains that several factors can affect the quality of your night, with snoring, one of the symptoms of sleep apnea, being the most common complaint.
However, other problems can also be disruptive, such as different preferences regarding sleep and wakeup times, insufficient temperature, brightness of the sleeping environment or menopause. Sílvia Conway, sleep psychologist and director of Absono, adds that the arrival of the baby in the couple's life also affects the quality of sleep and usually one or the other suffers from insomnia.
Assis adds that poor sleep quality can acutely affect a person, causing sleepiness, problems with concentration, memory and attention, as well as damage to personal relationships and leisure time. In addition, the person suffers loss of performance both at work and in studies. Increased risk of sleepiness, in the long term the risk of diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity is also high.
“We know that the emotional theme of being with the person you love can bring security and relaxation. But that's up to each person. There is no right or wrong and the goal as a couple should be to strive for a quality of sleep,” says Emmanuelle Silva Tavares, specialist in sleep psychology at the ABS (Brazilian Sleep Society) and Doctor of Neuroscience at USP.
*With information from reports published in April 2020 and May 2023.