Talk about sleep divorces was a thing at the recent High Point Market. And that’s a thing that will be good for our industry.
That’s my takeaway after discussing the topic with retailers, exhibitors and industry executives in High Point, who told me how the industry should benefit from this development.
But before we get too far along, let’s define sleep divorces. They occur when couples no longer share a bed or a bedroom. The reasons for those divorces are varied. During the pandemic, many couples separated briefly for self-isolation purposes, and some may have even gone on to make that separation permanent. Snoring can lead couples to sleep in separate quarters. So can different sleep schedules, and any number of medical issues and conditions.
I know one poor guy who spent five months sleeping upright on a sofa as he recovered from three successive eye surgeries. (Note: That guy was me, but enough about my problems.)
Sleep divorces may be more common than you think. A survey commissioned by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine last year found that more than one-third of respondents occasionally or consistently sleep in another room to accommodate a (former) bed partner. I’ve seen more coverage of this issue in the press, so I wasn’t surprised to hear about sleep divorces at the market.
To keep couples connected, High Point exhibitor Bedgear was recommending a split — but only in the mattress.
“With our Split Head Mattress, one of the only split heads made in queen, partners can enjoy a personalized sleep experience that meets their unique needs without giving up connection,” says Jonah Nelson, director of brand experience. “Ultimately, the Split Head is more than a mattress. It’s a solution that respects individual comfort while keeping couples close. By making the concept of ‘sleep divorce’ a thing of the past, Bedgear’s Split Head offers the best of both worlds.”
Nelson said Bedgear’s M3 Performance Mattress can also keep couples together, as it offers personalized comfort levels on each side of the bed. “It’s our way of helping couples stay close without compromising their sleep quality or personal comfort,” he adds.
Bedgear also had a sleep solution for those who need to try a night or two on a sofa-sleeper — two new sofa-sleeper mattresses, retailing at $499 and $699, and designed to help furniture retailers boost their business with additional selling opportunities.
At AW Industries, another High Point exhibitor, Adrian Wertz, vice president of sales, was talking about the benefits of a new four-model adjustable bed base line, topped with a fancy $1,499 model that features a Bluetooth speaker with an acoustic vibration system. Those bases turn the bed into a conforming, customized sleep, relaxation and entertainment center, one perfect for a couple — or a partner sleeping separately, he said.
And Therapedic President Gerry Borreggine was talking about sleep divorces in some videos that he shot at the market with sleep expert Terry Cralle. He says couples with different sleep needs should first try a king-size mattress atop two twin extra-long adjustable bed bases, a configuration that works well with different types of mattresses and is more consumer friendly when it comes to sheets and to making up the bed than split-head designs.
If compromises within the bed don’t work out, then separate beds and/or bedrooms might be in order. And that would be a major benefit to our industry, because consumers will spend more for their own mattresses than they will for guest bedroom mattresses. A guest bedroom that becomes a primary bedroom demands a comfy new mattress.
There are many solutions for couples with differing sleep needs and issues. Some of those solutions may be met within the bed with customized sleep features. Selling more beds with customizable comfort would help those couples, and would help the industry, too, as those beds are often upgrades over conventional mattresses and bases. If couples move into separate beds, that’s an obvious opportunity for the industry to increase sales.
Let’s embrace this talk about sleep divorces. Couples who sleep better, in the same bed or in separate beds, are better off. And it’s nice that our industry can give them the more restful nights that all sleepers deserve.
