Considering a “Sleep Divorce”? There may be more at stake than your relationship.

These days, whether on The Today Show or in just about any health and wellness magazine, everyone’s talking about the latest relationship craze: “a sleep divorce.” While some public figures have credited partaking in a sleep divorce with saving their marriage, if your partner’s sleep behavior is getting in the way of your own sleep, there may be something much larger than relationship issues at stake.

A sleep divorce refers to when a couple decides to sleep in separate rooms or sleep at separate times, often to account for conflicting sleep behavior and snoring that gets in the way of both partners achieving quality sleep. And according to a recent study by FiveThirtyEight, it’s not that uncommon: nearly 14% of couples sleep in separate beds every night, when at home.

Though a sleep divorce may initially sound hyperbolic, a partner’s sleep patterns can take a toll on relationships. One study that examined how sleepiness caused by Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) affects relationships showed that 63% of participants attributed problems in their relationship to sleepiness.

Before you decide a sleep divorce is right for you and your partner, it’s important to know that your partner’s snoring and poor sleep patterns may be an indication of a larger issue: an undiagnosed sleep disorder.

Undiagnosed sleep disorders cause more than relationship issues

While some couples may wave off sleep disruptions as just an annoying fact of life that gets in the way of a good night’s rest, oftentimes, they’re proof of an underlying condition. OSA alone affects nearly 1 billion people worldwide and can cause loud snoring, gasping for air, and choking noises.

But the consequences of sleep disorders go far beyond a noisy night — when left untreated, they present a serious risk to an individual’s physical and mental health, exacerbating conditions like depression and anxiety.

That’s precisely why, in 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared insufficient sleep a public health epidemic.

At their best, untreated sleep disorders cause excessive drowsiness during the day that gets in the way of productivity at work, showing up for your loved ones, and living life to the fullest. At their worst, untreated sleep disorders can exacerbate chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, obesity, and hypertension, and lead to an increased risk of mortality.

Preserve your relationship and your health by fixing sleep

As the foundation to both our mental and physical health, it’s paramount that everyone receives the support they need to achieve quality, healthy sleep.

For individuals with sleep disorders, that means access to appropriate, coordinated care that treats their sleep and helps them achieve better health outcomes. And for those individual’s partners, that means putting an end to the sleep disturbances that too often cause their own sleep deprivation, resulting in fatigue, lack of concentration, and more.

For the health of your relationship and your life, it’s time to take control of your sleep. So next time you hear your partner snore, or your partner complains about your snoring, before heading to another room, take a second and listen…it may just save a life.