The romantic image of couples always shows them sharing a bed, lovingly entwined and amorous or sleeping together blissfully. Separate beds are not romantic.There can be good reasons for sleeping apart though. One of you snores, or hogs the duvet, or keeps tossing and turning, so the other can't get a decent night's sleep. Separate bedrooms may not be romantic but neither is crawling out of bed when you've hardly slept a wink because of your other half's antics. It's nothing to be embarrassed about.
As it happens, Jenny and I have always shared a bed, because neither of us has nocturnal habits that disturb the other. We only snore very occasionally, we have separate duvets, and we don't toss or turn. We don't wake up screaming from nightmares, or talk in our sleep, or grind our teeth.
In fact we're model bedmates, we happily keep each other company and dream away beside each other. We love waking up together and exchanging bleary-eyed mutterings.
Some people crave separate beds for less obvious reasons. They like a bit of privacy after a day of togetherness. They can't sleep properly with someone else next to them. They don't like too much physical contact, even with a loved one. They want to hide their supposedly imperfect bodies. Or they just work different shifts. Not everyone sees bed-sharing as the ideal arrangement.
It must make for some awkward questions from kids though. "Don't you love each other, mummy?" "Why is daddy not allowed in your room?" And kids will probe and probe until they get an answer that satisfies them.
Come on, own up. Do any of you have separate beds?
