Romance Quotes & Advice
Health Benefits Of Sleeping Next To A Loved One
Nothing feels better than settling down after a long day and getting to sleep closely next to the person you love. If you’re forced to be away from that person for a night or two, one possible solution is to call or send a sweet text message reminding them that you love them and hope they sleep comfortably. Being in that position is unfortunate, because sleeping next to someone you love actually offers several different health benefits which you probably didn’t even knew existed.
From refining your psychiatric well-being to improving your overall health, there are numerous reasons why it’s great to sleep with someone you love! Relieving anxiety, feeling safe and falling asleep quicker are just a few of them. Continue reading to learn four additional health benefits you can enjoy just by sleeping next to your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife.
Health Benefits Of Sleeping Next To A Loved One
1. Lower Blood Pressure – One massive benefit that comes with sleeping next to your partner is that it can help you live longer! It does that by reducing the chances of life-threatening cardiovascular diseases. A research study performed at the University of North California carried out a sleep and intimacy experiment with 59 women. Participants were all asked to maintain a diary of their hugs and cuddles, along with their oxytocin levels and blood pressure checked on a regular basis. The findings were that those who had the highest levels of oxytocin also had the lowest blood pressure.
2. Stronger Immune System – One thing science has proved time and time again is that sleeping with your partner will likely lead to more intimacy which is fabulous for your health. One study was done by scientists at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania. They studied couples who were regularly intimate and came up with some stunning results. They discovered that partners who were intimate more often were also more resistant to common colds and the flu because they produced more antibodies. In fact, scientific data has also shown that intimate couples take fewer sick days. Even cuddling with your partner will increase oxytocin levels and boost your T-regulatory cells, which are key ingredients for keeping your immune system both balanced and strong.
3. Reduces Inflammation – Researchers have strong evidence that shows sleeping next to someone reduces cortisol levels. When this is reduced, so are cytokines, proteins that are involved in inflammation, and can lead to pain. Don’t be mistaken, though. Inflammation can be a good thing considering it helps your body with the battle against infection and injury. However, chronic low-level inflammation can be damaging and has proven to play a role in cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes and depression.
4. Slower Aging – There’s an easy way to looking and feeling younger that doesn’t involve loads of cosmetics. It’s completely free and involves nothing more than sharing some mattress space with someone you love. Spending some quality time cuddling with each other and being intimate can actually shred years off your looks. Science has proven that under these conditions, along with lower stress levels, your body feels younger – as much as 10 years younger!
Considering the stress relief and improvements in REM sleep, sleeping next to your significant other may be just what you and your partner need to have a better night’s rest. Both parties stand (or lye) to benefit from this shared experience of being close.
