Two beds are better than one

As many as ten percent of new parents opt to sleep in separate beds every night in order to ensure a decent night’s sleep, reports the the Daily Mail.

Researchers surveyed parents attending a U.K. baby retailer exhibition, collecting responses from 2,000 couples with young children.

According to the survey, one in ten couples said that they began sleeping separately after the birth of their child, while more than a third said that they slept apart at least occasionally. Only 60 percent of the respondents shared a bed every night.

With many mothers re-entering the workforce after childbirth, both parents need a good night’s sleep in order to function the next day. The survey found that 25 percent of mothers had taken an over-the-counter sleep aid at some point during their child’s infancy, with one in eight continuing to take them for at least 18 months.

Today’s fathers are stepping forward to pick up the slack, with as many as 60 percent saying that they get up if they hear the baby crying, and one third of the couples taking turns looking after the child during the night.