A sleep expert claims the secret to a long and happy marriage could be having separate beds. He might also have added that one of the best things about getting divorced is having the bed to yourself!

Dr Neil Stanley, who set up sleep laboratories at Surrey University, points out that sleeping apart helps couples get a good night’s rest. This, he says, has a huge impact on both their health and the relationship, as poor sleep increases the risk of stroke, heart disease and divorce.

“Poor sleep is bad for your physical, mental and emotional health. There is no good thing about poor sleep. If you sleep perfectly well together, then don’t change. But don’t be afraid to relocate.”

I suspect many couples would prefer to sleep alone (no one trying to hog the duvet, no one snoring next to you or fidgeting), but wouldn’t dare voice the fact for fear of offending their partner.

It was only when I was divorced that I realised how wonderful it is to have the bed to yourself. When we first parted, I kept rigidly to “my” side of the bed. I couldn’t quite bring myself to spread out and take over the vast expanse of mattress. And there was a feeling of emptiness, too, that I didn’t like. Gradually, however, I started using the whole bed – and what a wonderfully liberating thing it was!

Now, I view my lovely comfortable bed and the fact it is all mine as one of life’s bonuses. My sleep is never interrupted by someone else’s snoring or nocturnal visits to the loo and I never get elbowed in the ribs just as I’m nodding off.

Conversely, if I’m finding sleep elusive, I can switch on the light, read, write or watch TV and not worry about waking someone else.

Inhabiting what I called the “centre of the bed” is psychologically liberating too. Immediately after a separation, it’s not uncommon for people to feel “half the person” they were. But as time goes by you find you are expanding as a person to fill the gap left by your partner – and enjoying every inch of mattress is a good example of that.