Sleep alone or accompanied? Study indicates what is best for mental health

Are you from the team that likes to sleep together with your love or do you prefer to have a space just for you? Whatever your preference, a recent study showed that sharing a bed with a partner improves sleep qualityreducing insomnia and tiredness.

The research, carried out at the University of Arizona, in the United States, was published in May this year in the scientific journal of Sleep Research Society. According to researchers, sleeping with a partner helps you fall asleep faster, increase sleep duration, and reduce the risk of sleep apnea.

Read more: Sleeping less than 5 hours a night can increase the risk of disease

In addition, the study also suggests that sleeping together is associated with lower risk of depression, anxiety and stress, in addition to a greater sense of social support and satisfaction with life and relationships. While sleeping alone is associated with higher depression scores, lower social support and worse life satisfaction.

On the other hand, researchers found that sharing a bed with childrensuch as children, godchildren, nephews or younger brothers, does not offer the same benefit. According to the study, sleeping with the little ones can increase the level of stress, increasing the severity of insomnia and the risk of sleep apnea.

How was the study done?

The research involved an analysis of data collected in another study, called Sleep and Health Activity, Diet, Environment and Socialization (SHADES), conducted with 1,007 working-age adults from southeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States.

Information about who shared a bed and who did not was assessed with surveys, and sleep health factors were measured with tools such as the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Insomnia Severity Index, and the STOP-BANG apnea score.

Know more: Sleeping with someone who snores is bad for your health, says study

“Little research explores this, but our findings suggest that sleeping alone or with a partner, family member or pet can affect our sleep health,” said study senior author Michael Grandner, director of Sleep and Health Research. University of Arizona Program. “We were very surprised to find out how important this can be.”

How to sleep better?

Whether accompanied or alone, the fact is that Sleeping well is essential for health.. After all, having a good night’s sleep brings benefits such as memory strengthening, better physical performance, diabetes control, obesity prevention, as well as reducing the risks of cognitive impairment.

It is recommended to sleep, on average, six to eight hours a day, uninterruptedly, that is, without waking up several times during the night. After all, according to neurologist Rosa Hasan, responsible for the Sleep Laboratory at Hospital São Luiz, poor sleep quality disrupts metabolism and impairs the synthesis of some hormones.

Top tips for sleeping better include:

• Choose the best pillow and mattress;

• Keep the environment dark with the help of curtains and blinds;

• Avoid using electronics, such as cell phones, notebooks and TVs, before going to bed;

• Practicing exercises throughout the day (avoiding close to the hours before going to sleep);

• Eat light meals at least two hours before going to bed.