You’ve Probably Heard about “Sleep Divorce” but Have You Heard of “Screen Divorce?” Find Out All About this New Phenomenon Among Chicago Couples

By now, most individuals and couples in Chicago have likely heard about the trendy divorce topic called “sleep divorce.” If you have missed all the buzz on the sleep divorce trend, simply put, it is the act of a married couple sleeping in two separate beds, so that their sleep styles, patterns, and nighttime activities do not disturb the other spouse. A “screen divorce” is not much different than a “sleep divorce,” in that couples who have different entertainment preferences sit together and watch screens at the same time, but watch their own screens.

Polly Hudson, perhaps the pioneer of the “screen divorce” describes what the practice means for her and her husband in their marriage. Noting that “A poll has revealed that 55% of couples regularly argue over which TV show to watch,” Hudson boasts that her and her husband are “hot on the heels of the sleep divorce” by being “screen separated, if you will.” States Hudson, “In the Venn diagram of [programs] we enjoy, the intersection is big enough to fit the words Taskmaster and The Traitors, and that’s about it. He’s tried to lure me into his televisual world, I’ve tried to tempt him into mine, but no dice. Eventually, we [realized] one of us was always watching through gritted teeth, while the other felt guilty. And so, just like the courageous pioneers of the sleep divorce, who made the decision to [prioritize] healthy rest above convention, we needed to take action. To divide and conquer.” She adds of the practice with her husband, “We’re much more romantic than couples who sit in separate rooms for their viewing, though. Our love language? Headphones. We take it in turns to watch the TV out loud, or on the tablet with AirPods, but – crucially – we sit next to each other, on the same sofa.” And what of other people’s thoughts about Hudson’s “screen divorce?” Hudson does not let the opinions of others shake her marriage-saving strategy. Hudson concludes, “To the outside eye, it may appear that we’re completely ignoring each other, him lost in a world of endless sport, or the YouTube adventures of an off-grid family building a yurt in the woods; me guiltily consuming Real Housewives franchises faster than broadcasters can announce them. But technically we’re spending time together, so there. In fact [sic] maybe this is less screen divorce, and more like those who LAT (Live Apart Together)? We’re WAT (Watching Apart Together), happily ever after.”

When “Sleep Divorce” and “Screen Divorce” Become Real Divorce in Chicago

Although some married couples may be able to salvage their relationships with strategies such as the “sleep divorce” or “screen divorce,” sometimes a marriage has been stretched to its limit, and it is time to call it quits. When a person is ready to get divorced in Chicago, the best thing that they can do is to first speak with an experienced Chicago divorce lawyer about their rights, options, and best next steps under Illinois laws. The experienced Chicago divorce lawyers at the law firm Arnoux Sharma Standeford, LLC are here to help individuals in Chicago with their divorce cases. Contact Arnoux Sharma Standeford, LLC today and speak to a lawyer about your case now.

Source:

theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/23/my-husband-and-i-have-found-our-love-language-its-called-a-screen-divorce