Sleep deprivation can affect a couple’s marriage

Sleeping more than seven hours a night can help solve a couple’s marriage problems, experts say. 

Researchers analyzed couples response to stressful situations and compared it to the number of hours of sleep they got the night before.  

Couples who had less than seven hours of sleep were more likely to start a fight with their significant other and would have higher levels of an inflammatory response in their blood. 

These inflammatory responses have also been linked to heart disease, arthritis and other chronic illnesses. 

Experts recommend for couples to get more sleep if they are having marriage or health problems to improve their well-being.

People that are getting less than seven hours of sleep are more likely to have an increased inflammatory response in their blood, a study revealed. This response can cause problems in a marriage when a couple is talking about issues that cause controversy (file photo) 

Researchers at Ohio State University Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research studied the correlation between sleep deprivation and a married couple’s relationship. 

‘We know sleep problems are also linked with inflammation and many of the same chronic illnesses,’ said Stephanie Wilson, lead researcher on the study. 

‘So we were interested to see how sleep related to inflammation among married couples, and whether one partner’s sleep affected the other’s inflammation.’

Five tips for how you can get a better night’s sleep 

People aged 18 to 65 should get seven to nine hours of sleep on average per night. 

Here are some tips for helping you get a better night’s sleep. 

1. Say no to technology before bed

The bright light from your phone, TV or laptop screen can impair your body’s ability to get ready for bed. 

Try to avoid these devices thirty minutes to an hour before you are trying to sleep. 

2. Avoid caffeine late at night

Some items such as pills or teas can have hidden caffeine in them. Make sure to read the labels so you don’t accidentally ingest caffeine. 

3. Quiet the noise

Noise such as traffic, sirens or even water dripping can distract you when you’re trying to sleep. 

Use a fan or a noise machine if you find yourself distracted at night to help quiet the noise.

4.  Rethink drinking alcohol for a ‘nightcap’

A glass of wine or other types of alcohol might give you the initial feeling of drowsiness, but it could also contribute to what keeps you awake.

Once the initial effects wear off, the alcohol will wake you up more often during the night.

5. Workout wisely

The energy from working out can keep you up if it is too close to when you go to sleep. 

Aim to finish your workout three to four hours before you are trying to sleep.  

This type of inflammation is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis and other diseases. 

There were 43 couples who came in and talked about a topic that sparked controversy in their marriage. 

Before they would talk about the topic, researchers would ask them how many hours of sleep they had and take a sample of their blood. 

Another sample of blood would be taken after the couple discussed the issue.

‘We found that people who slept less in the past few nights didn’t wake up with higher inflammation, but they had a greater inflammatory response to the conflict,’ Wilson said. 

‘So that tells us less sleep increased vulnerability to a stressor.’

The couple was more likely to be hostile or argue with each other if they got less than seven hours of sleep the previous two nights.   

For every hour of sleep lost, the researchers noted that levels of two known inflammatory markers rose 6 percent.

Couples who used unhealthy tactics in their disagreement had an even greater inflammatory response—about a ten percent increase with each hour of less sleep.

‘Any increase isn’t good, but a protracted increase that isn’t being addressed is where it can become a problem,’ Wilson said. 

‘What’s concerning is both a lack of sleep and marital conflict are common in daily life. About half of our study couples had slept less than the recommended seven hours in recent nights.’

That’s higher than the current national average. 

The CDC reports 35 percent of Americans get less than seven hours of sleep per night.

‘Part of the issue in a marriage is that sleep patterns often track together,’ said Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, senior author and director of the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research. 

‘If one person is restless, or has chronic problems, that can impact the other’s sleep. If these problems persist over time, you can get this nasty reverberation within the couple.’

Researchers were encouraged to see that there was a protective effect if one of the partners was well-rested, or discussed conflict in a healthy way. 

They tended to neutralize the disagreement that might be stirred by the sleep-deprived partner.

‘We would tell people that it’s important to find good ways to process the relationship and resolve conflict,’ Kiecolt-Glaser said.

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