A woman who refuses to share a bed with her boyfriend of six years claims its the secret to her thriving relationship.
Luana Ribiera, 40, from Anglesey in north Wales, says from the day she started seeing her partner Alex, she's never let him share her bed - and claims he's absolutely fine with the arrangement.
Writing for Insider, Luana said the honeymoon period of snuggling up to her partner every evening wasn't quite for her - so she and Alex had an honest conversation early on in the relationship to talk about how things would work.
Luana, who runs her own PR business, said she often finds inspiration strikes in the early hours of the morning, meaning she's up and on her laptop jotting down ideas at 2am.
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Not wanting to disturb Alex's beauty sleep, she reckons it's best for them to retire to different rooms in the evening.
She added that her decision wasn't specific to Alex and she's made the same request from many of her romantic relationships in the past.
Luana wrote: “In my previous relationships, when I’d say I would like my own space, it wasn’t well received.
“Hearing that Alex wasn’t offended and that he also wanted his own space was music to my ears.”
Although some may consider the businesswoman's approach unorthodox, she recommends all couples follow suit claiming it'll make their relationship stronger.
Explaining her reasoning, Luana said the arrangement means both she and Alex are "well rested" all the time - which isn't always the case for couples sharing a bed.
She added tired people can snap at their partners and generally suffer from low moods meaning they have less patience for their loved ones.
However in her case, she rarely finds herself in a bad mood with Alex, and spending nights apart from him means she finds herself "genuinely excited" to see him in the morning.
When the pair had their son Celyn, they weren't sure if their arrangement would hold with a baby thrown into the mix.
But Luana claims if anything, sleeping separately from her partner benefitted them as new parents.
The mum said most nights, she and Alex put Celyn down to bed together, while Luana is "on call" throughout the night in case he stirs.
In the mornings, Alex is more than happy to wake up early to look after Celyn because he has had a full night's sleep.
Last year Luana told of how her beau Alex was actually her ex-husband's best friend.
She said she and her ex were separated by the time she got together with Alex - but added he gave the pair his blessing.
Luana said: “Mine and Al’s relationship had evolved into something more than friendship, while for James and I it was the opposite, and we had naturally become just friends.”
