Who Sleeps Better at Night?

Couples may get health benefits simply from sleeping in the same bed, a burgeoning field of study is showing. In fact, some scientists believe that sleeping with a partner may be a major reason why people with close relationships tend to be in better health and live longer.

The new research runs counter to studies that show women don't sleep as well with a partner and both men and women move around more when sleeping together. Other bed battles that interrupt couples' sleep include sheet-stealing and differing bedtimes and room-temperature preferences.

Sleep experts suggest there are ways to address these couple-sleep problems—without resorting to separate bedrooms.

"Sleep is a critically important health behavior that we know is associated with heart disease and psychiatric well-being," says Wendy M. Troxel, an assistant professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. "It happens to be this health behavior that we do in couples," she says. In one of Dr. Troxel's studies, published in 2009, women in long-term stable relationships fell asleep more quickly and woke up less during the night than single women or women who lost or gained a partner during the six to eight years of the study.

Source : Wall Street Journal : Read the whole story here: