Married couples are always looking for new ways to spice up their relationship; however, a new study conducted by a research team from the University of Florida has found that one of the best ways to improve your marriage comes from one of the most basic human functions: sleep.
That's right, moms and dads. Cancel that expensive appointment with your marriage counselor, cancel your weekend plans, and snuggle up in the sack if you want a happier marriage!
In the new study, the authors analyzed 68 different couples. Their goal was to document each couples' relationship satisfaction, as well as how many of hours of sleep they got each night--al over the course of a seven day span.
After analyzing the data, the researchers concluded that couples who slept more than their usual amount (which was typically around 7.5 hours, on average) were more likely to say they were happy with their marriage on that day.
Another noteworthy tidbit from this study: Husbands, more often than wives, reported overall martial satisfaction on days when they slept more. In many cases, the men who slept more still reported high satisfaction even if they had faced negative altercations on that same day. Looks like hubbies really value sleep!
What about wives? What does scoring a little extra shuteye have in store for women?
Well, apparently a similar outcome, however, not as evident. Wives may be more likely to report overall satisfaction, but they won't be as optimistic as their male counterparts.
The authors of this study claim that more research needs to be conducted to find the meaning and reason behind the discrepancy in satisfaction rates between husbands and wives.
You're probably rolling your eyes and thinking: "Jeez, I could've told you that sleep would improve overall happiness."
Well, you're probably right. But now you can literally validate your love/need for sleep with scientific research and data. Happy sleeping, married couples!
If you're interested in finding out ways to sleep better, and for longer check out page two for an awesome instructional video from WatchWellCast!
READ: 9 helpful tips for the sleep-deprived dad
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