Despite the unified front that many couples present to the outside world, a trip to the family home may reveal that they actually sleep in separate rooms.

And where they share a room, one may opt to sleep on the floor or couch, while the other occupies what otherwise is supposed to be the marital bed.

In psychology, this is known as “night divorce;” and while many couples say it has not affected their marriage, some people believe that marriages may be threatened by the time couples go their separate ways at that time of the day when most couples wind down in each other’s arms.

Researchers at the Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, reveal that as many as 40 per cent of couples will sleep in different beds at some point in their marriages.

Study author, Colleen Carney, notes that the phenomenon is also referred to as ‘sleep divorce.’ She, however, cautions that sharing a bed should not be confused with having sex.

She says the fact that a couple sleeps in separate rooms may not necessarily mean that they don’t love each other or that their sex life is endangered.

Below 13 reasons can make couples decide for separate beds or rooms:

1. Excessive snoring by either of them

2. Preference for snuggling up with family pet, such as cat

3. Too much tossing around by either of them

4. Past, unforgiven offences

5. Because of a new baby

6. Unresolved arguments

7. When they are in the process of filing for divorce

8. Lack of healthy sex life

9. Too much TV at bed time

10. Unbridled engagement with phone and internet activities such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.

11. Restlessness during pregnancy

12. Opposing views on whether the light should be left on or switched off

13. Bad sleeping habit such as kicking around in your sleep