Lack of sleep can hurt your relationships—and your health, according to new research conducted by The Ohio State Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research. People who don’t sleep well or don’t get enough sleep tend to be grouchier, moodier and more likely to pick a fight.
The study analyzed couples’ behaviors—particularly how they handled disagreements—based on how well they slept. This video provides a short overview of the study results.
As Tara Parker-Pope writes in her New York Times Well column, “A large body of research suggests that sleep-deprived people are more unpleasant and even hostile in their social interactions than those who get adequate sleep. People tend to use more negative words when they are sleep deprived than on days when they have had a full night’s sleep. A 2010 survey found that men were more likely to fight with their wives after a night of disturbed sleep. In a 2014 study, couples who reported poor sleep during a two-week period reported more daily marital conflict than those who got better sleep.”
In this new study, participants also gave blood samples before and after they fought with their partners. Those who got less sleep and fought more were also more likely to have higher levels of inflammatory proteins in their blood following the fight. Such inflammation results in a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis and other diseases.
A growing body of research continues to prove the importance of sleeping better so we can live better. That’s why what you’re sleeping on (your mattress) is so important, too.
