The assumption that everyone has to sleep together is pretty normal, actually. It's standard in most hunter-gatherer cultures, and most pre-modern agricultural

The assumption that everyone has to sleep together is pretty normal, actually. It's standard in most hunter-gatherer cultures, and most pre-modern agricultural cultures too, for the whole family to simply pile up. So, I consider the Western norm, for example, of separating children from a young age off to sleep alone to be very unusual, anthropologically speaking. On the other hand, such surveys often note that a sizable minority of the individuals tend to stay away from group sleeping by preference. And I'm pretty sure dislike of snoring is a human cultural universal. If you never spend the night or even the odd nap together, unless it is a platonic relationship, I do think you may be missing something critical. Maybe even if it is a platonic relationship. Some studies suggest sleeping next to friends and relatives, results in the same kind of stress hormone reduction seen in intimate couples as well. But you can't always have ideal. In my case, one of us is a heavy snorer. And one of us, your dear commenter, finds it very hard to fall asleep. Crashing in another bedroom a few nights a week can save the sanity of all involved. Be experimental. In my case, if I finally do fall asleep, I'm practically comatose. He usually wakes up in the middle of the night either way, and so joins me after that. Everyone's happy that way. Just as you shouldn't kick them out of bed forever over one night of restless sleep, sleeping together every single night shouldn't be clung to either. Bad sleep deprivation, or resentment towards one's partner over sleep issues, can potentially ruin a relationship just as the presumed loss of intimacy might.