Sleeping in the same bed as your partner 'can increase the risk of depression, heart disease and stroke'

Sleeping separately could be better for your health

Sharing your bed with someone could be bad for your health (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Snoring, fighting for the duvet and being pushed out of bed by a ‘starfisher’ are all too common woes for anyone who’s ever shared a bed with a partner, romantic or otherwise.

For some people in long-term relationships, occasionally having a bed to yourself is a secret guilty pleasure, but according to new research, you may not have to feel so guilty after all.

In a study by the University of Leeds and Silentnight, it has been discovered that 29 per cent of people blame their partners for why they can’t get a good night’s sleep.

“Almost a third of Brits say they can't get a good night's sleep because they are disturbed by their partner,” sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan told Mail Online.

Few couples have the same bedtime routines or sleeping habits, and it’s no secret that lack of sleep results in bad moods and lack of focus, but it also results in an increased risk of an array of health problems including obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

With digital devices already wreaking havoc on our attempts to get enough shut-eye, the latest research may make couples rethink their bedroom arrangements.

(Getty Images/iStockphoto (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

But it’s not worth breaking up over: a recent study by LM Research found that those of us in happy relationships sleep better than singletons or those in unhappy relationships, as they feel secure and less anxious.

So what can you do? A goodnight kiss is a good place to start, with 71 per cent of those studied reportedly sleeping better as a result and 36 per cent admitting their sleep would be disturbed if they didn’t get to kiss their partner goodnight. "Sharing a kiss with the one you love before bedtime shifts your mindset away from the stress of the day," said Dr Ramlakhan.

And it seems the old adage of never going to sleep on an argument may hold some truth: 70 per cent of us sleep better after saying ‘I love you’ to our partners, whether that’s in the same bed or separate.