From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-564302-333551
SEATTLE (UPI) -- An association exists between couples' sleep quality
and the quality of their relationship, U.S. researchers suggest.
"When we look at the data on a day-by-day basis, there seems to be a
vicious cycle in which sleep affects next day relationship
functioning, and relationship functioning affects the subsequent
night's sleep," principal investigator Brant Hasler of the University
of Arizona says in a statement.
"In this cycle, conflict with one's partner during the day leads to
worse sleep that night, which leads to more conflict the following
day. Although these results are preliminary due to the relatively
small sample size and a subjective measure of sleep quality, the
woman's perception of the relationship seems particularly important,
as it impacts both her own and her partner's subjective sleep quality
that night."
The study involved data from 29 heterosexual, co-sleeping couples who
did not have children. Each completed sleep diaries for seven days and
each partner was asked to record the quality of interactions with his
or her partner six times a day.
Hasler says interventions directed at improving either quality of
sleep or relationships may provide overall benefits, as the two
directly impact each other. Couples should resolve disputes before
going to bed and avoid confrontational discussions on a day when one
or both of them had a bad night's sleep, Hasler says.
Hasler presented the findings at Sleep, the 23rd annual meeting of the
Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Seattle.