It is certainly well-established that stress can profoundly impact our ability to sleep well and lead to insomnia. Yet can marital bliss lead to improved sleep for women?
In a 2009 study, researchers sought to answer this question and found that happily married women sleep more soundly than those in less happy marriages. The study at the University of Pittsburgh looked at 1,938 middle-aged women (42 to 52 years old) from 1996 to 1997.
The subjects were asked to rate their degree of happiness in their marriage and whether they had difficulty falling or staying asleep, or whether they woke up early without being able to fall back asleep. Other factors that might affect this association were also assessed, including: social support network, depressive symptoms, economic hardship, employment status, alcohol and caffeine consumption, presence of children in the home, sexual activity, age, and hormonal status.
Even considering these various factors, the researchers reported higher levels of happiness in marriage were associated with a lower risk of sleep disturbance. Interesting, other social support such as close friends or family did not provide the same association.
Source:
Troxel, W.M. et al. “Marital happiness and sleep disturbance in a multi-ethnic sample of middle-aged women.” Behav Sleep Med. 2009;7(1):2-19.
