The strong link between sleep and relationships
How are you sleeping? Believe it or not but it’s pretty easy to predict how your love life is functioning based on how you’re sleeping.
One question I ask my clients in relationship coaching is––what are your sleeping habits? Healthy sleep habits are a huge factor when it comes to your love life. Good sleep habits can predict a happy couple, while bad sleeping habits might result in a bickering couple or tense relationship.
Here is what your sleeping habits can predict about your relationship.
#1: Without a good night of sleep, the relationship is likely to suffer
When it comes to relationships, we all know that men and women are different. In the case of sleep, there is no difference. One study of 29 heterosexual couples found surprising results about sleep. Men and women share what is called a bidirectional relationship when it comes to sleep.
Here’s how it works. Men are more likely to treat their partners kindly if they slept well. This, in turn, allows the woman to have a better night’s sleep that evening.
To put it simply, getting into a pattern of healthy sleep habits starts with the man having a good night’s sleep. If he doesn’t have a good night’s sleep, the relationship might suffer during the day. This will result in the quality of her sleep declining.
Men feel more irritable than a woman without a good night’s sleep and are more likely to lash out. If you notice your male partner being a bit cold, it could just be the result of bad sleeping habits.
Suggest implementing some good sleep habits, such as keeping a consistent sleep schedule. Make sure the room is completely dark and you have white noise if needed. Avoid bad sleeping habits such as looking at blue light an hour before bedtime. Finally, invest in a good quality mattress, as they make the most significant impact on good quality sleep.
#2: Without enough sleep, you’ll probably fight more
For optimal health, studies show it is essential to get more than 7 hours of sleep a night. If you and your partner are consistently getting less than 7 hours of sleep, your bad sleeping habits might be affecting your relationship more than you realize.
When we don’t have good sleep habits, we become irritable. If you are both burning the midnight oil consistently, it could lead to more arguments in your relationship.
An Ohio State study found that couples were more likely to get into a fight if they both had less than the recommended amount of sleep. If only one of the partners got a bad night’s sleep, the well-sleep partner has a better chance of balancing the dynamic.
To fix this problem, create healthy sleep habits that will ensure you both get more than 7 hours of sleep at night. Good sleep habits, such as getting to bed earlier, avoiding blue light, and having a quality mattress, will help you avoid unnecessary fights and arguments.
#3: If you’re both getting quality sleep, your relationship can prosper
There’s a lack of importance placed on healthy sleep habits in our modern culture, but it's clear how it affects your love life. Studies show that good sleep habits correlate with less disease, lower stress, and even better connections in our waking life. Or inversely, bad sleeping habits are related to more stress, less connection, and disease. So, it’s no wonder that couples who are consistently getting good quality sleep are in better health and have better relationships.
Health isn’t the only benefit of sleeping well with your partner. Sleeping is a fundamental attachment behavior, which can improve confidence and well-being. Last but not least, it appears that sleep and relationships positively affect one another. This means, when couples thrive in a relationship, their sleep improves. And better sleep allows for more energy to be put back into the relationship.
There are many benefits to having good sleep habits you share with your partner.
***
Your sleeping habits can tell us how your love life is going. Bad sleeping habits don’t necessarily predict an imminent break-up––but they might be able to predict an incoming argument or fussy partner.
If you want your love life to flourish, increase your healthy sleep habits. Start with a higher quality mattress. Create good sleep habits, like going to bed earlier and staying away from blue light in the evening. And see how these changes improve your waking relationships.
