It's a problem familiar to anyone with a partner who snores or steals the bedclothes, the tiredness and irritability that comes from a lack of a good night's rest.
But the US, it seems, is waking up to the idea that sleeping apart can bring a couple closer together.
Separate master bedroom suites, once a luxury reserved only for well-off characters in classic Hollywood movies, are in increasing demand among the nation's sleep-deprived public and house builders aren't about to be caught napping.
"It started with the his-and-hers closet, then it was the his- and-hers bathroom, now the demand is for the his-and-hers bedroom," said Gopal Ahluwalia, research vice-president of the National Association of Home Builders. "It's a market-driven demand that's going to continue."
A "home of the future" study carried out by the association last month (FEB) predicted that more than 60 percent of custom-built houses in the US will have two master bedroom suites by 2015.
Such a trend can only be good for marital harmony, sleep experts say.
"One of the keys to a good relationship is having a good night's sleep," said Paul Rosenblatt, a social sciences professor at the University of Minnesota and author of the book Two in a Bed: The social system of couple bed sharing.
Public discussion of a couple's separate sleeping arrangements was once taboo for fear it presented a picture of a failing relationship. But it is becoming a popular topic in an age when many people rarely get the recommended seven to eight hours' sleep a night.
Women also seem to suffer more than men. A study of women aged 18 to 64 by the National Sleep Foundation found that 64 percent suffered sleeping problems that made them late for work, stressed out and too tired for sex.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese