Couples sleep better – natural healing naturopathic specialist portal
Improved quality of sleep by co-Sleeping
When couples sleep together, increase the time of Rem sleep, and there is generally less disruption of sleep. One reason seems to be that couples synchronize their sleep.
In the case of a current investigation with the participation of the University of Kiel was found that common Sleep of pairs has a positive effect on the quality of sleep. The results were published in the English scientific journal “Frontiers in Psychiatry”.
What causes common sleep?
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Many people around the world to share your bed with your Partner. This raises the question of how the co-Sleeping in a bed affects the sleep itself. To find out, the researchers examined twelve young, healthy, heterosexual couples who spent four days in a sleep laboratory.
Sleep parameters of the Participants were measured
The research group measure, with the help of the dual simultaneous polysomnography in the sleep parameters of the Participants – both in the presence and in the absence of the partner. By the polysomnography sleep was recorded on four levels, from the brain flows to the movements, the breathing, the muscle tension and the heart activity.
Questions about the relationship had to be answered
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In addition, the Participants completed questionnaires, which relationship characteristics should be measured. Including, for example, the duration of the relationship, the degree of passionate love and relationship depth.
Increased movement of the limbs found
Interestingly, the research group found in pairs, sharing a bed, increased movement of the limbs during sleep. These movements are not, however, interfere with the sleep structure. In other words, the brain is not expressed: When couples sleep together in a bed, the body is somewhat restless, however.
REM sleep improved by co-Sleeping
The results of the study show that so-called REM-sleep (sleep with rapid eye movements) increases in the sleeping couples and less disturbed, compared to alone nights spent. This is quite relevant, because the REM sleep is associated with emotion regulation, memory consolidation, social interactions and creative problem solving, explains how the research group.
Sleep patterns of couples synchronize
The Team also found that couples synchronize their sleep patterns, if you sleep together in a bed. This synchronization is positively associated with relationship depth. With other words: The higher Participants rated the importance of their relationship for your life, the stronger the synchronization with the Partner.
Less emotional Stress by co-Sleeping
The co-Sleeping seems to be a positive Feedback loop to trigger in REM sleep and stabilizes is improved, which in turn improves the social interactions and the emotional Stress is reduced, the researchers say. Although these possible effects were not measured in the study, specifically, were this to be well-known effects of REM sleep.
Further research is needed
Although the results are promising, but many questions remain still open. In the future, the effect of the common sleep of pairs must be checked in a more diverse sample. Up to now, it seems that the co-Sleeping could be with a Partner in a bed is actually an extra boost in terms of mental health, memory, and creative problem-solving skills, conclude the researchers. (as)