Lee Seong-mi reveals sleeping in separate rooms for 23 years

Comedian Lee Seong-mi revealed that she has been sleeping in separate rooms from her husband for 23 years. She explained that this is not due to a distant relationship, but rather a combination of practical reasons such as snoring, sleep apnea, and differing lifestyle rhythms. In particular, Lee drew attention by sharing her personal philosophy that even within a long marriage, there needs to be a "line" that spouses should not cross.

On the 26th, Lee appeared on the YouTube channel 'Kim Ji-sun & Kim Hyo-jin's Graejjeo' to discuss marital lifestyles and topics such as sharing mobile phone passwords.

When the conversation turned to whether a couple shares a bed, Lee revealed, "I have been using separate rooms for a long time. It's been 23 years." This means she has spent a significant portion of her marriage sleeping in a separate space from her husband. She elicited laughter by adding, "Because I have to sleep separately from my husband, I always make sure to check if there is an extra room when I go to look at houses."

One of the most practical reasons Lee chose separate rooms was snoring. She confessed, "Even if you want to share a bed as you get older, you can't because, first of all, you snore a lot. I have sleep apnea, and you have no idea how much it startles me. It makes it impossible to sleep."

Snoring is a sleep-related symptom that is difficult to dismiss as mere lifestyle noise. Especially when accompanied by sleep apnea, it can lower sleep quality and cause daytime fatigue, meaning a spouse sharing the same bedroom is also likely to experience sleep disturbances. In Lee's case, the practical need for health and restful sleep became a major driver for the separate room arrangement rather than emotional issues between the couple.

This was followed by honest jokes about physical changes that occur with age. Lee made the set burst into laughter by saying, "Also, I snore and fart a lot. As you get older, it's not a powerful fart, but a little hiss." She then surprised the cast by adding, "I haven't even reached the stage of 'letting them rip' yet."

Co-star Kim Ji-sun chimed in, saying, "I haven't either. My husband hasn't either." She continued to provide humor regarding physical privacy that is often not easily revealed even between spouses, saying, "So, when I'm with him and go into the bathroom to wash, it sounds like a cannon blast."

Lee also shared her own thought that this "distance" between a married couple does not necessarily mean a lack of intimacy. She emphasized that there are lines to be kept even between spouses, stating, "As an older person, I think a woman who always lives hiding the hidden secrets of a woman, and a man hiding the secrets of a man, looks beautiful."

While it is easy to think that sharing everything is the measure of intimacy during a long marriage, Lee presented the perspective that maintaining a certain private domain can actually be a way to sustain a relationship.

Another reason for choosing separate rooms was their different sleep patterns. Lee explained, "Our time zones are different. I try to go to bed early and wake up early, but my husband sleeps whenever and wakes up whenever." Even if living in the same space, if bedtime and wake-up times differ greatly, one person's rhythm can disturb the other's sleep.

As such, in recent years, sleeping in separate rooms is not necessarily interpreted as a sign of conflict or discord between couples. It is being accepted as a lifestyle choice made by couples with different sleep quality, individual rhythms, work schedules, and health conditions to maintain a stable daily life. It appears that Lee has found a balance in her marriage by following a method that suits both herself and her husband over the 23-year period.

During the broadcast, the topic of indoor temperature, another variable in the sleeping environment, also came up. When Kim Hyo-jin mentioned, "I heard one of the reasons for using separate rooms is that the temperature doesn't match for the two of you," Kim Ji-sun confessed that she also experiences conflict with her husband due to air conditioning issues in the summer.

Kim Ji-sun said, "In the summer, we turn on the air conditioner, but if the wind blows directly on my face, it causes bronchial issues and makes my bones feel cold. I've put a blanket over the air conditioner." She added, "We can't use separate rooms, so my husband and I use separate beds, but since the air conditioner blows toward the middle, I couldn't sleep, so I put a blanket over it, and it looks like a shamanic altar," causing another round of laughter.

Ultimately, what the conversation showed was that a long-term marriage does not necessarily have to be maintained in a form where everything is shared. Even while living in the same house, separating sleeping spaces and life rhythms and respecting a certain private domain can actually reduce the fatigue within a relationship.

Lee's confession of sleeping in separate rooms for 23 years challenges conventional wisdom about marriage. Rather than viewing the distance as a gap, she views it as a way to respect each other's health and habits, maintaining a minimum level of privacy. Her candid remarks have resonated with viewers, suggesting that physical closeness is not the only way to sustain a long-term bond.