- Men and women who felt loved managed to have a better night’s sleep
- Scientists believe it is because they felt safe and could switch off easier
- Data of 350 couples between their mid-30s and mid-80s was analysed
- Poor sleep linked to heart disease, memory loss, obesity and diabetes
Fiona Macrae Science Editor For The Daily Mail
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Being in a caring, sharing relationship won’t just make you happy during the day – it could also help you sleep better at night.
A study found men and women who felt loved, appreciated and understood by their other half slept more soundly.
It is thought they felt so safe and secure they found it easy to switch off and slip into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.
Men and women who feel loved, appreciated and understood by their other half sleep better
Researcher Emre Selçuk said: ‘Having responsive partners who would be able to protect and comfort us should things go wrong is the most effective way for us humans to reduce anxiety and tension.’
Dr Selçuk, a Turkish psychologist, analysed data provided by almost American 350 couples, who were aged between their mid-30s and mid-80s.
The men and women were quizzed about how well they slept, including whether they woke up during the night, whether they used sleeping pills and if they had trouble staying awake during the day.
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Some of the couples also wore wristwatch-like gadgets that monitored movement for a week, to provide objective data on how well they slept.
Each man and woman also provided information about how much their partner or spouse cared for them, how well they understood them and how appreciated they felt.
They answered questions about how anxious they were and whether they were depressed and provided information on their general health.
Crunching together all the information revealed those who were in the most ‘responsive’ relationships, defined as feeling understood and cared for, slept best.
The finding held even when other factors that can affect sleep, such as age, weight and general health, were taken into account.
Dr Selçuk said just as children sleep better safe in the knowledge their parents are nearby, spouses find it easier to relax when they feel their secure and content.
Scientists believe it because they so safe and secure they found it easy to switch off and slip into a deep, uninterrupted sleep
Writing in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science he said: ‘Anxiety disrupts sleep by increasing nightly awakenings and resulting in poorer daytime functioning.
‘Social relationships are thought to counteract this process, as they are a potent source of safety and protection and they down-regulate perceptions of threat.’
With poor sleep linked to a host of health problems, from heart disease and memory loss to obesity and diabetes, Dr Selçuk said a loving relationship could bring multiple benefits.
He said: ‘Taken together, the evidence suggests our best bet for a happier, healthier and longer life is having a responsive partner.’
Others maintain a proper night’s rest is so fundamental to a happy marriage that members of a couple should sleep in separate beds.
And if one of you snores, the best bet might be separate rooms.
British research shows when one partner moves in his or her sleep, there is a 50 per cent chance the other will also change position.
Despite this, couples are reluctant to sleep apart, with just 8 per cent of those in their 40s and 50s bedding down in different rooms.
Separate bedrooms are much more common in old age, with more than 40 per cent of those aged 70-plus sleeping apart.
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