More couples are taking an unorthodox route to sleeping arrangements and slipping into separate marital beds. The two-bed or two-bedroom trend, called by some as a "sleep divorce," is more prominent than one might expect, as people eschew the stigma of sleeping apart.

Younger generations embrace the trend
Many couples are opting for a sleep divorce or using "snore rooms" instead of sleeping in the same bed, a choice that appears to be more prominent among younger people. A March 2023 survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that 35% of Americans sleep in separate rooms occasionally or consistently. Millennial couples were most likely to sleep apart, at 43%, compared with just 22% of baby boomers sleeping separately. 

"It's incredibly common that older generations see this as something must be wrong," said John Hughes, a psychotherapist and couples counselor in Chicago, to The Washington Post. However, he said people ages 35 to 45 are often "more open and willing to negotiate all aspects of a relationship" and seem less concerned than their parents about the idea of sleeping apart.

Better connection or 'mild pink flag'?
For many couples who choose this route, it's less about interpersonal issues and more about getting a good night's sleep. Elizabeth Pearson, an author and executive coach, found that she and her husband of 16 years slept best when they slept in hotels while traveling for work. "Where we slept poorly was when we were at home in the bed together," she said to The Wall Street Journal. 

Not everyone views the trend as harmless, though, and some sex therapists and marriage counselors are weary of couples opting for a sleep divorce. "What are you pretending not to know?" Katherine Hertlein, a professor in the couple and family therapy program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, said to The New York Times. "It's not a big leap from healthy solitude to a little bit of distance."

If you have been on the internet in the past few months, chances are you have seen an advertisement for whole-body deodorant. While experts largely agree that these products are not necessary, cosmetic and beauty companies are capitalizing on people's deep-rooted fear of smelling bad. 

Why is it so popular?
The introduction of whole-body deodorant by several beauty brands may be a result of advertising more than customer insistence. "It's not clear if these products are suddenly proliferating because of spontaneous public demand," said Scientific American. "But targeted marketing that's convincing people they smell is a driving factor." 

With the conversation surrounding body odor long since moved past just underarms, companies tout the products' abilities to tackle smell in the groin, feet and even legs. "It's either, at best, an absurd, comical money grab or, at worst, a concerning phenomenon for your health," Sarah Everts, the author of "The Joy of Sweat," said to Vox. "Sweating is a human superpower," she says. "Few other species can use sweat to avoid overheating."

"We have agreed that the natural smell of what we call body odor is kind of unpalatable in our American culture and in many Western cultures," said Dr. Shieva Ghofrany, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and cofounder of the women's health care platform Tribe Called V, to Allure. "But there are many cultures where they're very comfortable walking around with that sweat." 

Do you really need a full-body approach?
In most cases, whole-body deodorant is not necessary. "Just bathing should take care of whatever quote-unquote problem you think you have," Andrew Best, a biological anthropologist who studies sweat at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, said to Vox. 

And not all sweat is created equal. Sweat alone does not have a smell, and the odor instead comes from it mixing with bacteria on the skin. Deodorants are solely fragrances that cover up odor and do nothing to stop the source. Antiperspirants, instead, temporarily block sweat altogether, which prevents odor, but should not be used all over the body, because sweat plays an important role in keeping us cool.