By Emily Murray
Despite previous research claiming that sleeping with another person in bed can actually prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep, a reporter from the Wall Street Journal has rounded up several other pieces of research that may actually prove the contrary.
It’s been shown time after time that people involved in happy, healthy and committed relationships have a longer life span than those who are single and now reporter Andrea Petersen has gathered information that shows one of the reasons for this longevity may actually be tied to sharing the same bed as your loved one. Previously, research revealed that nighttime habits like snoring, restlessness, kicking, cover stealing (or any other annoying habit your partner may have) may be keeping you from reaching the level of sleep needed to maintain proper health. However, this new collection seems to reveal that the psychological benefits outweigh the negative physical ones when bedding down with your partner.
One of the study’s that Petersen has mentioned in her article is one that tests the mental effects of sharing a bed and how they can actually impact the body in a positive way. For example, it is believed that the feelings of security and safety that come from sleeping beside a loved one may actually help lower levels of the common stress hormone cortisol. Aside from this, oxytocin (commonly referred to as “the love hormone”) is often released when in the presence of a loved one and it helps ease anxiety as well as bring the couple even closer. As mentioned in the article it (oxytocin) is actually produced in the same portion of the brain that is responsible for controlling sleeping and waking habits.
It’s also been found that of both sexes, women are more commonly woken in the middle of night when sleeping with a male partner. It can be difficult if one partner prefers to go to bed early and the other enjoys staying up late. As the article refers to these different “body clocks” in couples as an obstacle that must be overcome, it is also suggested that couples initially go to bed together despite these opposite schedules. If the night owl would prefer to stay up they get out of bed after a certain amount of time.
What do you think?
Do you get a good night’s sleep with your partner? Is it part of what keeps you a strong and happy couple?