But of all those essential life activities, sleep is probably what we don’t get enough of when it comes to either quality or quantity.
Sleeping well is thought to be having a beneficial effect on one’s physical health.
But ‘restorative sleep,’ as it is known, requires a feeling of safety, security, protection and an absence of threats. During our childhood, this role is played by our parents, and romantic partners help comfort adults. Here is what dr Emre Selcuk, a developmental and social psychologist at Middle East Technical University in Turkey found out:
“Having responsive partners who would be available to protect and comfort us should things go wrong is the most effective way for us humans to reduce anxiety, tension, and arousal,” Dr. Selcuk wrote in a paper about the study in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.”
So even if you’re sharing a bed with a snorer, kicker or blanket-stealer who you love, it still might have a hugely positive effect on you. Romantic partners who sleep in the same bed may live longer and be healthier than those who sleep alone.
Dr. Wendy M. Troxel, an assistant professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh also supports this idea:
“The psychological benefits we get having closeness at night trump the objective costs of sleeping with a partner.”
During a decade-long study, Toxel and her colleagues found that women in long-term, stable relationships would fall asleep quicker.
And would wake up less during the night than single ladies or women who ended or started a relationship. So, it turns out that sleeping with our loved one is vital for our overall health. And what is more, scientists claim this is the case.
Below we have listed ten undoubtable health benefits of sleeping next to your love:
1. Security.
When you sleep together with your partner, you feel safe and secure. That, in turn, influences the time you spend sleeping and to what extent your sleep is healthy. It is common knowledge that couples sleep more soundly when they are together which guarantees a better quality of your sleep.
2. You could fall asleep quicker.
When you sleep alone, you have the time to overthink about different things that are important to you or bother you. However, it is a proven fact that sleeping with someone you love allows your brain to disconnect from all concerns immediately because of the feeling of security and calmness you get around them. And this will enable you to fall asleep faster.
3. Anxiety reliever.
Andrea Petersen who is an expert explained to the Wall Street Journal an interesting fact. She said that cortisol levels fall when we lie in bed with a person we love. That leads to the release of oxytocin, also known as the love hormone, which has been confirmed to ease a person’s anxiety. When your stress levels are low, the chance of getting heart diseases, cancer, or other severe conditions becomes lower as well.
4. Plays the role of a painkiller.
Another statement of Petersen is that while stress levels tend to decrease when you’re sleeping with a loved one, the number of cytokines in your body also becomes smaller. Cytokines are responsible for feeling inflammation and pain. Therefore, the calmness of the warm body of our loved person lying next to us in bed eases the physical pain as well. So sleeping next to your loved person turns out to be a natural painkiller which is really cool. So next time when you have a headache don’t take medications. Try having a nap with your loved one instead. You might be surprised by the result.
5. Gives you more energy.
The mornings when you wake up next to the person you love, you would feel happier and more energetic. That is because you have slept very well right through the night. The calmness and security our loved person who has been sleeping next to us contribute to having more sound sleep as mentioned above.
6. Helps you look younger.
Here is what Scottish neuropsychologist David Weeks wrote in the book called “Secrets of the Superyoung”:
“Sleeping in one a bed with someone you love and having regular quality cuddle time and making love could make you look ten years younger. What is more, when you’ve got lower stress levels, your body naturally feels a lot younger.”
7. Reduces blood pressure.
Dr. David Hamilton, the author of the book called “Why Kindness Is Good for You,” described to Daily Mail a study done by researchers from the University of North California. They examined sleep and intimacy on 59 women. They were keeping a record of the hugs and cuddles the ladies got from their partners. After comparing the women’s oxytocin levels and monitoring their blood pressure, the scientists proved the following. The women with the highest levels of oxytocin were the ones with the lowest blood pressure. These hormones seem to act like natural angina medicine. It assists in reducing the constriction in the blood vessels.
8. Could provide the ideal sleeping conditions.
When we sleep, our body temperature becomes lower. When our body becomes colder, the warmth of the person sleeping next to us can help keep us snug. Natalie Dautovich of the National Sleep Foundation also thinks that sharing a blanket with someone in bed can get us very warm and comfortable. And thus provide us with the ideal sleeping conditions.
9. It is good for the immune system.
Sharing one bed with our significant other could lead to lovemaking, which might strengthen our immune system. Scientists from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania examined couples who are regularly intimate in bed. It turned out that these partners were more resistant to flu or usual colds. Their bodies produced more antibodies and which made them healthier.
10. Could make the partners closer to each other.
One of the most important benefits, proved by different studies is that sleeping naked next to your loved one makes the connection between the partners stronger. And many studies have revealed that this closeness could boost our satisfaction from the relationship.
That’s is why, the next time you wake up sad and lonely, think of finding a partner who you would love and who would love you dearly, and is ready to share their life, bed and sound sleep with you.
