In Western culture, the common bed - the "marriage bed" - is the epitome of romantic love. Whether this is really always so good for sleep and the relationship was secondary for a long time. It is only recently that sleep researchers have indicated that the partners could also disturb each other if they have different biorhythms and habits or if one snores. So that sleep is really restful, many couples today choose separate bedrooms. According to some, the physical separation should also benefit the relationship.
The results of the current study by the researchers led by Henning Johannes Drews from the Center for Integrative Psychiatry are all the more surprising. They put twelve young, healthy and heterosexual couples in the sleep laboratory for four days. According to the researchers, polysomnography was the first to record the effects of sleep with and without a partner. Brain waves, every movement, breathing, muscle tone and heartbeat are recorded. In addition, the participants had to fill out questionnaires about their relationship. They were asked z. For example, how long the partnership has lasted and how deep the feelings are.
In sync with feelings
Analysis of the data showed that REM sleep (rapid eye movement) was interrupted by about a tenth longer and less when the couples slept in a bed together. In this sleep phase, you dream a lot. As the researchers explain in a press release, it is important for regulating emotions, memory, social interactions, and problem-solving.In addition, the partners' sleep patterns matched up: the deeper the feelings were according to the survey, the more synchronous the sleep. The researchers suspect that positive feedback is hidden behind the measured results. Couples who spend the night together sleep deeper and better. As a result, they are physically rested and emotionally balanced, which in turn benefits the relationship. Interestingly, the test subjects moved more in the common bed than when they sleep alone. The restlessness does not seem to have any negative consequences for the quality of sleep.
The fact that the results are so clear could of course also be due to the small and not very diverse sample. According to the researchers, it should, therefore, be investigated in the future whether the positive effect remains demonstrable when the couples are older, when someone is sick or not as happy with the relationship.
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