A man said he’s been ‘judged’ for refusing to sleep with his wife when she comes to bed without taking a shower – and instead sleeps on the couch in protest.
Posting on American social site Reddit, the US man divided opinions when he asked if he was an ‘a****** for defiantly leaving the matrimonial bed in favour of his ‘health’.
The 33-year-old revealed the wedge it had placed in his marriage, hoping to spot solutions in the comments – although his wife had argued that the whole ordeal was unnecessary.
He admitted that he was proud of his gynecologist wife whose daily toil included long nights at a hospital. He further added that the 32-year-old wore gloves, regularly changed her scrubs and even took precautions to avoid any contamination – ensuring the highest standards of hygiene were rigorously adhered to.
Unfortunately, her hubby still felt ‘uneasy’ and his views on the matter incited arguments in what otherwise would’ve been a happy home, but his position on the conflict divided opinion among readers.
At a loss over how best to resolve the domestic matter- yet cosying up to his wife at night was clearly out of the question – he wrote: ‘I don’t think it’s an unreasonable request for her to take a quick shower before bed.’
Posting anonymously, he continued: ‘My wife is a gynecologist and works at a hospital.’
‘She recently mentioned that she is exposed to a lot of bodily fluids during her workday. While I’m proud of her for doing such an important job, I’m uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping in the same bed as her without her showering first’.
‘I’ve asked her to take a shower before coming to bed, but she thinks it’s unnecessary and feels like I’m being unreasonable.’
‘However, I still feel uneasy about the potential exposure to bodily fluids, and I don’t think it’s an unreasonable request for her to take a quick shower before bed.’
‘Since my wife doesn’t want to shower before bed, I have been sleeping on the couch in the living room instead.’
He then detailed exactly how the lovebirds had arrived at the deadlock, while still feeling incredulous over his wife’s reaction.
‘My wife thinks I’m overreacting and being ridiculous by sleeping on the couch,’ he wrote.
‘But I don’t want to compromise my comfort and health.’
‘Am I the a****** for choosing to sleep on the couch when my wife comes home from work without showering?’ he asked.
His full disclosure sparked a fierce debate among fellow Redditers, with many tag-teaming either the husband or wife.
In staunch agreement with the original poster, one user wrote: ‘I am trying to understand how she can jump into her bed without bathing. It’s just basic hygiene to me.’
Another added: ‘It’s not unreasonable to want someone who has been in a hospital all day to take a shower.’
Sympathy for the man continued to pour in as another person wrote: ‘There is absolutely nothing wrong with a quick shower after coming home. And nothing wrong with staying away from someone until they do.’
However, in aggressive opposition, some took to the comments to call the poster out. One person asked: ‘My guy, do you know the precautions they take?
‘She’s not getting fluid on herself and just leaving it there, you are basically calling her unsanitary when she’s probably cleaner than you are.’
Another added: ‘Your wife sees multiple patients a day. If this was any threat to you she’d have to shower between patients.’
‘I bet she doesn’t have to do that. Of course she gloves up and wears whatever gear is necessary to not bring ‘fluids’ home.’
Finally, the man conceded to ‘overestimating the hazard’ and confessed that he felt ‘judged’.
‘I will try to find a compromise with her,’ he announced.
The news comes as a study on adult-spooning revealed that couples who sleep together in the same bed enjoy an array of physical and mental health benefits over those who sleep alone.
Although a growing number of couples are choosing to sleep in separate rooms for a better night’s kip, they may want to have a rethink – or risk the onset of depression, anxiety, stress and fatigue.
In addition, couples that bunk together feel closer to their partner emotionally, feel more secure in their relationship and enjoy a better quality of life.
Dr Michael Grandner, a sleep expert at the University of Arizona who led the study, said he was ‘very surprised to find out just how important this could be’.
He added: ‘Very few research studies explore this, but our findings suggest that whether we sleep alone or with a partner or family member, it may impact our sleep health’.
The research involved analyzing data from 1,000 working-age men and women from Pennsylvania.