Unruly Limbs but Synchronized Sleep Patterns: Research Says Sharing Beds With Your Partner Can Benefit Mental Health and Memory

Not all couples share the same bed together. This might stem from a lot of various reasons. For one, snoring could be a factor. Another consideration could be personal space and sleep preference. Some people can't sleep with someone else in the room, while others find sleeping next to their partners a sweet gesture.

However, new research points out that sleeping next to your partner could actually have a good bearing, particularly with mental and cognitive health. Aside from getting better sleep, scientists say it could also bring improved mental health, enhanced memory, and better problem-solving skills.

Furthermore, some worry that sharing a bed with someone else might lead to sleep disturbance because of unruly and involuntary sleep movements. However, researchers have found that these movements do not disrupt sleep architecture among couples.

Dr. Henning Johannes Drews, one of the authors of the study from the Center for Integrative Psychiatry at the Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Germany, says that although limbs tend to be unruly during sleep, brains do not.

Their research studied the sleep arrangement and practices of 12 healthy, young, heterosexual couples who slept under observance in a sleep laboratory for four nights.

Their sleep experience, both with and without their partner, was measured using polysomnography. The method captures information on sleep, such as brain waves, respiration, movements, heart activity, and muscle tension.

The participants also filled out a questionnaire detailing the length of their relationship, the "depth" or their union, and the level or "degree of passion" the couples shared. The findings of the study were published in the journal Frontiers on June 25, 2020.

Also Read: Health and Beauty: How Lack Of Sleep May Affect Your Appearance

A Boost in Memory

The results of the study showed that rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep increased and was less interrupted in couples sleeping together compared to when they slept by themselves.

The researchers say this finding is significant because REM sleep, which is correlated with vivid dreams, has been linked to memory consolidation, emotion regulation, creative problem-solving, and social interactions.

Furthermore, couples were also found to coordinate their sleep patterns when sharing a bed. Researchers say that such synchronization has something to do with the depth of their relationship.

The more the participants valued the significance of their relationship in their life, the stronger the harmonization with their partner.

Leveling Up One's Mental Health

The study also mentions that romantic relationships have implications for mental health. Sleep has been thought to mediate such relationships. The researchers say that sharing a bed with a partner is of distinguished interest since it develops the relational interaction during the night.

The study also points out that meaningful partnerships have been shown to protect from mental health conditions. Furthermore, experts say that sleep could be a mediator of health effects between relationships.

He added that further studies in this area could look at a broader cross-section of society, including elderly couples or a couple where one partner has a disease. It has also been found that REM sleep could help dissolve emotional stress, which could be achieved when sleeping next to a loved one, the authors say.