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An estimated 10 percent of couples in Western Europe, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia live apart. And we aren’t talking long-distance relationships because of careers, family commitments or finances. These are couples that could live under the same roof but choose not to.

The increasing trend is known as the "live apart together" (LAT) relationship. And a quick scroll through some of the pics on this list is making the idea super appealing... to me, at least.

Couples are choosing the LAT way of life for different reasons: sleep schedules, levels of cleanliness, a desire for solitude and autonomy, and sometimes as a last resort to save their relationship.

Sharon Hyman calls these independent couples “apartners” - committed partners who live apart. And she is half of one. The Montreal filmmaker has lived separately from her long-term partner David for more than 25 years.

She's even made a documentary called Apartners: Living Happily Ever After Apart and has founded an international group for people in LAT relationships. One could even argue she’s the GOAT of LAT. So we were thrilled when she agreed to chat with us about "apartnerships."

We begin by asking Hyman to share a bit of her own love story with us, and how she ended up in her LAT relationship. "When I first met my spouse David, who is from Seattle, he was in my hometown Montreal for a short-term work contract. He had his modest apartment and I had mine, and we lived 15 minutes apart," she tells us.

"It quickly became clear to us that we wanted to spend our lives together, so his short-term contract became a forever commitment and he settled permanently in Montreal. But we still remained living 15 minutes apart."

Hyman says the couple considered moving in together early in their relationship but realized that living apart actually worked best for them. "We feel that we truly have the best of both worlds - a deeply loving and committed relationship, companionship and love, as well as the time and space apart that we both appreciate and cherish," she said.

Hyman says living apart won't work for all couples but people should know that it is an option and not all relationships need to fit into a traditional mold. "So many people feel that they must follow the same trajectory for love that is promoted in Hollywood movies and romance novels - namely, you meet, you fall in love and you are expected to move in together. But why? For many, they are looking for a companion and partner, not a roommate. And so many relationships suffer because they feel this pressure to cohabitate, when really living apart is working best for them," she explained.

"Not every couple is meant to live apart ... Nor is every couple suited to living together," says Hyman. Those who choose the LAT lifestyle do so for different reasons. "They could have different work schedules, different temperaments, different levels of cleanliness, children from prior relationships, they are taking care of elderly parents, working in different states, or just really need complete silence and solitude for part of the time," says Hyman, adding that what's most important is finding what works best for you as a couple.

There are an array of benefits to living apart, says Hyman. One is that it allows you to retain your autonomy while being fully committed to a life partner. "It offers you the freedom to pursue your own goals and thus become a happier and more fulfilled person, which can only help to improve any relationship," the expert told Bored Panda. "Happier people make happier partners. Or apartners."

Hyman says LAT also allows you the ability to devote more time and energy to other relationships, be it family, community, volunteering, or being a good friend, neighbor and citizen.

"We gain so much from having a diversity of relationships," she explains. "I feel that when we expect everything from one person, namely our significant other, it is putting way too much pressure on one relationship, which often leads to its demise. No one person can provide for all of our needs. No one can be your 'everything,' except you."

​​Hyman says apartnerships are no different to any committed, lifelong relationships. They just happen to operate from two separate addresses. She says she's often had her relationship compared to a "friends with benefits" situation(ship).

"How many casual daters are on one another's wills and hold their powers of attorney in case of illness or death?" she asks. "Apartners are just as devoted to one another as cohabitators. It is a lifetime deal. We are there for one another in sickness and health, through all the ups and downs and highs and lows that life throws our way."

The LAT expert believes that creating physical space can actually bring partners closer together. And help save your sanity. "When you remove the petty things that couples often argue about: chores (whose turn it is to do the dishes, 'pick up your socks off the floor!') and financial issues ('why did you spend money on this or that'), etc., then you are left with what is really important in a relationship - being there for one another, fully present and caring and loving in sickness and in health," says Hyman.

"When we are together it is intentional and precious," she adds. "And when we are apart we can savor missing one another, an underrated emotion that can keep passion and love alive because we will always appreciate one another and never take each other for granted."

Time and space definitely can enhance a relationship, she told Bored Panda, adding that it allows each partner to recharge their batteries so that they have more energy and presence of mind when they are together.

Living apart doesn't mean couples won't argue now and again. But it does offer both partners the chance to cool off when arguments do occur, so they can come back together in a healthier and more constructive manner. Some couples have even turned to LAT as a way to save their crumbling relationships.

"I run a group for LATs with thousands of members from all over the world, and so many of them share that living apart saved their marriages," Hyman told Bored Panda. "Others say that had they known this were an option, maybe they wouldn't be divorced now from their prior relationships. Just because people love and care for one another, does not mean that they are compatible in the realm of cohabitation. And you do not have to share a physical space to share an emotional and spiritual one."

Some believe LAT is only for the wealthy. This is not true, says Hyman. "People never say this about single, divorced or widowed people, who also live alone. There are definitely advantages to pooling finances and being able to live together if it is feasible and works for you. But for many, living together just is not the best option," she explained.

LAT is also not the easy way out, warns the expert. "Relationships are hard, and require a lot of work, whether living together or apart. What living apart does offer is the chance to more fully work on yourself and your issues, and the same for your significant other, so that together you are not two halves of a whole but rather a union of two strong and independent individuals who are committed to supporting, loving and going through life with one another as a united front."