Sleep deprivation and difficult marital conflict go hand-in-hand, a study has found.
Do you find yourself on the verge of breaking up with your partner? An article in the New York Times health section begs you to take a step back and ask one main question: are you both getting enough sleep?
A study done at Ohio State University explored how marital interactions influence a person’s health. In doing so, it also examined how sleep, or a lack of it, can increase your stress and make conflicts with your partner worse.
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“When people have slept less, it’s a little like looking at the world through dark glasses,” Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, a longtime relationship scientist and director of the Ohio State Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, is quoted as saying. “Their moods are poorer. We’re grumpier. Lack of sleep hurts the relationship.”
It was found, unsurprisingly, that people are more hostile with each if both partners are handling life on less than 7 hours of sleep. Every couple experiences conflict. The way in which it’s handled can dictate the success of the relationship, though, it was found. Partners who had proper rest could navigate their differences with humor and acceptance. Those who were operating on less couldn’t do so that easily and often resorted to negative interactions.
Find yourself feeling sour and using negative language? Try turning your alarm off and hitting the sheets. Your brain and body will thank you, too.
