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Is it important to sleep through the night in the same bed with your mate?

A lot of people don't. There's snoring. Inconsistent habits having to do with TV/computers/iPhones. Keeping different hours. Let's assume a solid couple, really committed and loving. What's wrong with separate rooms if it helps you both get a good night's sleep... and a chance to do other things you like?

Paul C. Rosenblatt, a psychiatry professor at the University of Minnesota, interviewed 42 couples for his book ?Two in a Bed: The Social System of Couple Bed Sharing? and came to some surprising conclusions.

Co-sleeping is better for your health. His subjects mentioned seizures, diabetic shock and other medical emergencies that would have gone undetected if not for a proximate partner.

Co-sleeping is better for your sex life. ?I talked to plenty of men (and women) who think that sexual intercourse is far more frequent if they have access to their partner,? Dr. Rosenblatt said. ?If you want it, share a bed.?

Co-sleeping is better for your security. Women, in particular, feel safer from intruders when sleeping with another person.

I'm not sure those reasons are really that great. Is frequency even the right test of how good your "sex life" is? Frequency gained by simple access because you're in the same bed? I think it's nice to have enough room in your house or apartment so there is a separate bed to go to if you want it. It's nice to know you're sleeping together because that's what you want, and it's nice, when you are sleeping together to know there's somewhere else to sleep (or sit up reading/watching TV/hanging out on line) if that would feel better.

Full post as published by Althouse on July 25, 2010 (boomark / email).