Great topic! I think sleeping in the same bed is way overrated. As a divorced woman, I LOVE having my own space and I’m not going back.
My current partner and I plan on living together, and I’ve made it clear, I want my own room. I’m not going back. After 20 years sharing a room, I want my own space and my own things how I like them.
Yes, I love cuddling, snuggling, etc. There will be days where I spend it on my partners bed, but if I have a big day at work tomorrow, and they aren’t asleep when I am ready to be. No. I want my sleep how I need it, to much rests on me getting what I need.
I know it is nice to sleep together every now and then, but on a daily basis, to much rides on it. Sleeping apart doesn’t mean we love any less, it means we respect our sleep needs and mental health, with plenty of cuddle time in the evenings and weekends, not when my brain is trying to repair its self.
Let’s apply this principle to other areas of life. I love showering with my partner, but I don’t do it every morning. I am perfectly capable of showering on my own, especially if they are buys and our schedules don’t line up. I can take a shower in the morning without them, it doesn’t mean I love them less, it just means I need to get clean, that’s what showering is about.
I love eating dinner with my partner, but if they aren’t here, I often eat dinner by myself, that doesn’t mean we love each any less. Often one of us works late, we have different tastes in food, maybe I’m not hungry when they are. But we still eat regularly.
Sleep, eat, and shower, these are bodily functions, things our bodies need to do. Yes it can be nice to do them with a partner, but they should be able he self care, and doing them on our own shouldn’t be an indication of lack of love. I love sleeping with my partner, I love eating with my partner, but if I happen to be hungry or tired at a time they aren’t, me doing these things on my own shouldn’t be a sign of lack of intimacy, it’s a basic bodily function, it doesn’t have to always be a bonding activity.