A recent study found that couples who got more sleep, are actually more satisfied in their marriage!
Sleep affects how people deal with stress and problems
The study, entitled “The Rested Relationship: Sleep Benefits in Marital Evaluations”, was conducted by researchers at Florida State University. They found that sleep affects how people in relationships deal with stress and handle problems in their relationship.
Heather Maranges, one of the researchers, shared, “The universality of our findings is important; that is, we know all people need sleep. Regardless of the stage at which a couple is in their relationship or the cultural context in which they’re embedded, each member of the couple can be adversely affected by not getting enough sleep.”
According to the study, sleep can affect your self-control, and sleeping helps ‘reset’ a person’s self-control definitions, which allows them to have a much clearer mind when making decisions, especially when it comes to the relationship.
Losing sleep on the other hand, only compounds on the stress and makes it harder for people to deal with problems in general.
In the study, conducted on 68 newlyweds, the researchers found that 1/3 of the couples reported that sleep problems are taking a toll on their relationship.
Wendy M. Troxel, Ph.D., adds, “We found that wives’ sleep problems affect her own and her spouse’s marital functioning the next day, and these effects were independent of depressive symptoms.”
Get enough sleep!
It’s easier said than done, but getting enough sleep is vital in making sure that you’re healthy, and that your mind is always in tip-top shape, so that you can care for your family, and you can have a loving relationship with your spouse. Here are some tips to get more sleep each day!
- Take naps. If possible, try and take a short 1-2 hour nap each day. Naps help your brain rest and recover, and keep you refreshed for the rest of the day!
- Sleep early! These days, a lot of people tend to wake up early, and sleep early, since they feel that there are not enough hours in the day. However, it’s important to have at least 7-8 hours of sleep daily, since sleep helps your brain recover and gets you ready for the next day. So try and skip binge watching those series with your spouse, instead, try getting some extra hours of shuteye! You’ll feel better for sure.
- Get some help! If you lack sleep because you have a newborn, then there’s nothing wrong with asking for help from a babysitter, a relative, or a friend, who’s willing to take care of your baby so that you can get some much needed rest.
- Make a sleep schedule. It’s important for married couples to rest, so if your spouse tends to stay up late, why not encourage them by having a sleep schedule. That way, the both of you can sleep, and wake up at the same time daily. Your bodies will eventually get used to the schedule, and you’ll have no problem when it comes to getting enough sleep!
Source: familyshare.com, sciencedaily.com
READ: How to deal when your marriage doesn’t feel like ‘happily ever after’
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