Sleep Divorce, Sleep Deserts, and the Science of Sharing the Covers with Dr. Wendy Troxel & Mary Helen Rogers

Here’s something most of us never think about: sleep is not a solo act.

Every night, roughly two-thirds of American adults share their bed with another person. And that means the quality of your sleep is being shaped not just by your own biology, stress, and habits, but by another human being lying next to you.

No one has done more to research that reality than our guest today.

Dr. Wendy Troxel is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation, a licensed clinical psychologist, an adjunct professor at both the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Utah, and one of the world’s leading authorities on sleep and relationships. 

She’s also the author of Sharing the Covers: Every Couple’s Guide to Better Sleep — rated one of the seven best books for better sleep by the New York Times.

In this conversation, we get into all of it:

Why sleep is the foundation for every other health behavior, including your food choices and your motivation to exercise. 

What happens biologically when two people with different chronotypes, different stress levels, and different sleep needs try to share a bed. 

Why the phrase “sleep divorce” is getting the concept completely wrong. 

And a concept Dr. Troxel has been pioneering called “sleep deserts” — the idea that where you live and the safety of your community affects your sleep just as profoundly as what happens in your bedroom. 

MEET DR. WENDY TROXEL

Dr. Troxel is an internationally recognized sleep scientist at the RAND Corporation, Adjunct Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and University of Utah, and licensed clinical psychologist. 

She is a two-time TEDx speaker with nearly 3 million views, leading authority on couples and sleep, and author of Sharing the Covers: Every Couple’s Guide to Better Sleep, rated one of the “7 Books for Better Sleep” by the NY Times. Her research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and private foundations and corporations, focuses on how sleep impacts health, relationships, and productivity. 

She is an Associate Editor of the journals, Sleep Health and Biospsychosocial Science and Medicine, and has served on numerous advisory boards, including the NIH Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Task Force. She has over 130 peer- reviewed academic publications and her work is frequently highlighted in major media outlets, including The New York Times, BBC, Wall Street Journal, ABC World News Tonight, CBS Sunday Morning, and the “Today Show.”

In summary, Dr. Troxel brings over 20 years of clinical and research expertise in sleep medicine, combined with a passion and skill for translating scientific findings into practical, actionable recommendations to advance population health.

CONNECT WITH DR. WENDY TROXEL

WEBSITE: http://drwendytroxel.com | INSTAGRAM: @drwendytroxel | LINKEDIN: @dr-wendy-troxel