DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently got married. My husband and I did not live together before marriage, so we are learning each other’s idiosyncrasies now. One thing that is a problem is that I am a night owl, and he is a morning person. We hardly ever get in bed at the same time. I feel like one of us is constantly disturbing the other’s sleep. I don’t know a solution, though, because we have such different sleep patterns. What do you recommend? -- Nighty Night, Denver
DEAR NIGHTY NIGHT: Getting enough sleep is essential for your long-term health and happiness. Without proper rest, you can become irritable, which will trigger other challenges in your marriage. What can you do? First, you can try little things, like putting a dim night light by your side of the bed so that you can slip into bed without turning on the lights whenever you are ready to go to sleep. Do not turn on any electronics, and try to settle quietly as you go to sleep. Make sure you have opaque curtains in your room so that in the morning the room stays dark when your husband gets up. He will need to be quiet when he gets up so as not to disturb you.
Another idea that some couples follow is to have separate rooms. Yes, that may sound crazy for newlyweds, but if you really do sleep differently, you may want to sleep in different rooms and come together at mutually agreed-upon times. You have to work out what works for you.