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Better Marriage, Better Sleep
Does that really surprise anyone? A new study out of the University of Pittsburgh says that women who have stable marriages sleep better than women who are unmarried or who have lost a partner. The study also pointed out the fact women who start dating a new partner also sleep better as compared to their single – partner-less – counterparts.
Surely you and I can list several factors contributing to this result. (And I'd bet that if a study were performed on men, they'd find similar results.)
Let's be honest: a good relationship, married or not, often leads to:
- Lower stress
- Greater sense of well-being
- Perceived security
- Stronger financial stability (or at least a perceived sense of this)
All of these play into the quality of one's sleep. We can't also forget the fact studies have also proven that those in committed relationships tend to live longer than those who are not. A 2004 study, for example, indicated that married people are healthier than other adults.
So how can a person not in a relationship reap the health benefits of actually being in one? Can a single person really sleep as well as a married person? Absolutely. You just have to:
- Pay attention to sleep hygiene.
- Seek solutions to lower your stress.
- Plan well for your financial future so money issues don't keep you up at night. Financial woes seem to be the prime suspect in stress-related insomnia these days – whether you're single or not.
- Establish a really good circle of solid friends. You'd be amazed at what having a trusty group of friends can do to your emotional – and physical – health. Another recent study out of Australia has shown that having friends around may do more for your longevity than having family members around!
And what if your partner snores, keeping you up at night? After all, a marriage can be "stable" but snore-full. That, my friends, is another topic for another day. It would surely put a kink in the better-marriage hypothesis, but luckily most snoring issues can be dealt with – more easily than finding a soulmate.
This article on sleep is also available at Dr. Breus's official blog, The Insomnia Blog.
4 Comments:
I really like what this says but, what if you are in unhealthy marriages and finances can be a big issue? What if your partner nees to seek someone to talk too and they won't?
Jeannine:
For your own emotional well being you should make it clear to your partner that YOU are 50% of the relationship. Issue an ultimatum (get help or I take a break from this relationship) and then set a firm date with your partner as to when the therapy will start. Seek help without your partner if you have to...often a good therapist can illuminate unhealthy patterns that you didn't even realize existed. GOOD LUCK!
Actually at the precana we were told that we are 100 percent of each. We have a 2 and a half year old involved too. I really want to go with him and for him to go on his own too but, he refuses right now. I do get my own on the side and that helps a little but, it doesn't go very far when only one person is getting the help and theother is not.
Jeannine,
You said, "Actually at the precana we were told that we are 100 percent of each." If this is true, then you should see your parish priest. If you only know this from being TOLD that you need to be 100 % to each other, both of your levels of committment are not where it should be. There is nothing worse than a spouse that won't listen, but you have to get at the root of the problem: What do both of you feel you are compelled do to make this liveable and workable and healthy. You have to know why you want to be together, and somehow you have gotten off track. That is what the PreCana process is all about. You also need to know how to speak in "man currency". Find out what is important to him, and find a way to make it pertinent to him, and have consequences for not following through on what he promises to do for the relationship.
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