Cameron Diaz on married couples: ‘We should normalize separate bedrooms’
FILE - Guitarist Benji Madden and actress Cameron Diaz attend House of Harlow 1960 x REVOLVE on June 2, 2016, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Donato Sardella/Getty Images for REVOLVE)
LOS ANGELES - Actress Cameron Diaz recently shared her thoughts on married couples who sleep in separate bedrooms: we should "normalize" it.
The 51-year-old star and her business partner Katherine Power appeared on the Dec. 19 podcast episode of "Lipstick on the Rim with Molly Sims" to discuss the pair’s organic wine company and other lifestyle topics.
Near the end of the episode, the conversation turned toward sleeping next to a spouse who snores, when Diaz shared her opinion on the matter.
"We should normalize separate bedrooms," Diaz said. "To me, I would literally, I have my house, you have yours. We have the family house in the middle. I will go and sleep in my, my room. You go sleep in your room. I’m fine."
"And we have the bedroom in the middle that we can convene in for, you know, our relations," Diaz added.
Diaz tied the knot with Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden in 2015, and they share a daughter together. In January, Madden shared a tribute to his wife on Instagram in honor of the couple’s 8th wedding anniversary.
"In Love, Inspired, Happy and Grateful. 8 years married, side by side, and now a little one for us to guide," Madden wrote in part.
Following Diaz’s remark on the recent podcast episode, the others joked about how the actress’ comments are "going to be a bad headline."
"I’ve already said it!" Diaz quickly replied, adding that she had always supported the idea prior to getting married.
"By the way, I don’t feel that way now because my husband is so wonderful. I had said that before I got married," Diaz said.
FILE - Benji Madden (L) and Cameron Diaz attend a basketball game between the Washington Wizards and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Jan. 27, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/GC Images)
‘Sleep divorce’: More common than you might think
Whether it’s to avoid partners who snore all night or wake up early for work, married couples who sleep in separate bedrooms, a concept sometimes referred to as a "sleep divorce," has become more popular in recent years.
A recent survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that more than a third of American couples say they occasionally or consistently sleep in another room.
"We know that poor sleep can worsen your mood, and those who are sleep deprived are more likely to argue with their partners," Dr. Seema Khosla, pulmonologist and spokesperson for the AASM, said in a statement. "There may be some resentment toward the person causing the sleep disruption which can negatively impact relationships."
Khosla added how getting a good night’s rest is "important for both health and happiness."
The survey also found differences by generation. Almost half (43%) of millennials said they occasionally or consistently sleep in another room to accommodate a bed partner, followed by one-third (33%) of those in Generation X, 28% of those in Gen Z and 22% of baby boomers.
The term "sleep divorce" may need a new name, as well as cultural ideas about what a healthy relationship should look like, according to Susan Albers Bowling, PsyD, a psychologist at the Women's Health Center at the Wooster branch of Cleveland Clinic.
"There is a lot of stigma, embarrassment and shame that comes with talking about sleep separation," Bowling said. "Fortunately, a few celebrities have come forward and said that they and their partner sleep in separate rooms, so I think it’s becoming easier for people to talk about and more normalized."
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This story was reported from Cincinnati.