che rest well has positive effects on physical and mental health, it is now known. Less well known is another type of correlation: that is, the one existing between quality of sleep and couple life. Well yes: several studies have in fact highlighted how share the sleep experience with your partner can have beneficial effects on your relationship.
Sleep quality and couple well-being: research
According to a survey carried out by the doctors of the Center for Integrative Psychiatry in Germany and published in the magazine Frontiers in Psychiatry, the couples are able to synchronize sleep patterns when they sleep together. The research has in fact examined the effects of individual and couple sleep, evaluating the duration and depth of the various phases. The results revealed, in particular, that the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase increased significantly when couples shared a bed. With therefore positive effects, considering that the REM phase, the one associated with dreamsit is linked to the regulation of emotions, to the memory consolidation but also at social interactions and creative problem solving.
Co-sleeping also lowers stress
To confirm the benefits of good sleep for couple life it is also one study conducted by researchers at the University of Arizonathe results of which were presented during the congress Sleep 2022 of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. The researchers, involving 1007 adults of working age, have shown, among other things, that sleeping with a partner is associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress.
Sleep quality and couple life: attention to stress
To confirm the importance of quality sleep in order to maintain good relationships they are also the experts of Dorelan Research, scientific research committee autonomous and independent, whose mission is to raise awareness of the importance of good rest, which however also underline a inverse correlation between sleep and couple well-being.
Just as good quality sleep can positively influence the relationship, the opposite also happens. Stress, irritability and anxiety they inevitably come transmitted to the partner with the risk of causing problems within the couple.
Not a trivial aspect if we consider that, according to the latest statistics, about 30% of the Italian population reveals symptoms due to low quality sleep which impacts on daily life by negatively influencing the management of emotions, the ability to concentrate at work but also the quality of relationships.
Snoring and sleep apnea
Among the most frequent sleep disorders are apneas and snoringproblems that do not allow you to rest properly and continuously and that end up inevitably disturb the sleep of the partner.
The latest data fromItalian Association of Sleep Medicine (AIMS), dating back to 2021, indicate that in Italy about 7 million people suffer from at least 5 sleep apnea for hours of sleep. In the aged population between 30 and 69 years old there are 4 million who live the experience of beyond 15 apneas per hour of sleep. Among the causes to be attributed to these sleep disorders are obesity, overweight or alcohol intake in the evening. There are also causes due to the physical conformation of the jaw, palate and tongue which can obstruct the upper airways, facilitating apneas.
Quality of sleep: when your partner snores
«From my clinical experience it emerges that two types of relationships prompt a therapeutic encounter. That of established couple and that of the new relationship – explains the Professor Claudio Vicini, Expert in Sleep Medicine and Professor at the University of Bologna and Florence, and member of the Dorelan ReSearch Scientific Technical Committee. – In the first case, the meeting is solicited by the person who shares the bed with someone who suffers from apnea or snoring and which highlights the need to resolve the situation. In the second case, who suffers from sleep disorders and starts a new path of life in common with another person thinks he needs to intervene. What was now anesthetized in the previous relationship begins to anaesthetize in the new relationship become the source of a problem.
Sleep and couple well-being
«It is important to act because snoring and apnea can have an impact on the psyche and increase cognitive elements such as irritability and mood swings – underlines the specialist again. – Elements that affect those who suffer from sleep disorders but also the person with whom they share the experience of sleep. If it happens every day it’s obvious how this may affect the well-being of the couple» – concludes Vicini.
Sleep apnea: how to intervene
Sleep apnea and snoringin fact, they are sleep disorders which, in addition to having an important effect on health at a neurological level, can lead to a series of complications, including hypertension and heart disease. Self in the most serious cases, the advice is to consult a doctor or a sleep expertfor mild ailments it is possible to find benefit by modifying some habits of life. Follow ahealthy eatingwhich promotes weight loss and includes light meals in the evening, sleep on side And use nasal patches to favor a greater passage of air in the nostrils, they can be useful strategies.
“Excellent help also comes from position in bed as well as the choice of mattress – underlines Professor Vicini. – “The data we have available as Dorelan Research demonstrate, for example, that sleep with head raised 30° it significantly reduces the episodes of sleep apnea and snoring and therefore can improve the quality of sleep.
For the benefit of the couple as well.
Quality of sleep: the dedicated glossary (also) arrives
On the occasion of world sleep day, which is celebrated on March 17, Dorelan, with the contribution of the members of the scientific committee Dorelan ReSearch, also launches the project Somnopedia. A real one glossary, available in digital on the Dorelan website and on company social channels, designed to raise awareness of how important the quality of sleep for the well-being of the individual.
Give her jet lag sleep apneafrom the First Night Effect, or the effect of the first night away from home, al Power Napthe afternoon nap, the project offers Useful information, data and expert advice to know all the secrets Of a good rest.
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