Sleeping in separate beds for a night used to spell serious marital trouble (think "Mad Men"). Not anymore.

With all the distractions of the day, many couples want calm and peace at night -- so they choose two beds (or even separate rooms) for the good of their relationship.

It makes sense when you think about it. Women are typically lighter sleepers than men, snoring is more common these days, and the majority of couples have different work schedules, so they wake up and go to bed at different times.

A survey by the Better Sleep Council found that one in three Americans was disturbed by a partner's sleep habits. Sleep, it seems, is the ultimate luxury, and in order to afford it, one in four U.S. couples said they sleep in separate beds, according to another study by the National Sleep Foundation. Helena Bonham Carter even reported that she and her longtime partner Tim Burton have taken it a step further and actually live in separate houses ... next door to each other, of course.

Couples who choose to sleep apart say that it's helped their relationships because they're well-rested for each other the next day. As for intimate relations, the separate sleepers say sex isn't affected: They have it, then hit the sack -- in their own rooms.

That all may make having your own bedroom sound great, but one thing sleeping together does is force a few moments with your partner and without TV, Internet, kids and everything else that can get in the way of focusing on each other. His snoring might annoy you in the middle of the night, but for that brief period post-"Daily Show" and pre–dozing off, there's that nice, cozy time where you talk about your day and hold each other in that little bedtime cocoon, just you and the person you share your life with.

I, for one, love my sleep. But so far, it's not a luxury I need more than those moments and not one I'd trade in for that intimacy. If the scale ever tips in the other direction, my husband and I will have to find other ways to be intimate that don't involve middle-of-the-night cuddling. But until then, I'll gladly suffer through a little fidgeting and snoring. That's what love is all about, right?

Related:
Is the Romance Gone? Couples Increasingly Sleeping in Separate Beds