Many couples struggle with a nightly quandry: A good night's sleep vs. sharing a bed with the one you love. Sleep is one of the fundamentals for good health. Sleep regenerates body and mind, affecting immunity, energy levels, metabolism and a host of other processes. However, many suffer in silence with snoring partners, midnight tossers and cover-bandits. It's no joke!

That said, different bedrooms can rob you of important quality time together. Going to bed at the same time allows you to connect in more ways than one. You get in sync physically, emotionally and spiritually. Not to mention, taking to separate beds feels funny, like a failure, a last resort and, often, a dirty little secret from others. People assume there are problems in the relationship when one person is not sleeping in the same bed as the other.

Maybe because of this, many people take the middle road...they start out the night in the same bed and by the end of it, take shelter in the guest room or on the couch. However, interrupted sleep can be as harmful to your health (and your looks) as too little sleep. It deprives you of the deep-phase sleep that is most restorative.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, nearly 70 million of us have difficulty sleeping and women are twice as likely as men to suffer from a sleep-related problem. A recent survey found that just 8% of good sleepers said feeling tired affected their intimacy, while fully one-third of poor sleepers did.

So ultimately, each couple must make the decision that's right for them and their relationship. Maybe the solution is some snuggle time on the couch, with his and hers bedrooms for most (but not all) nights!

Get Dr. Laura Berman's customized advice for you:
Free Assessment