It's More than Sex: Exploring the Dyadic Nature of Sleep and Implications for Health

Abstract

Sleep is a critical health behavior and one that is typically shared between husbands and wives or romantic partners. However, the science of sleep has traditionally conceptualized and evaluated sleep at the level of the individual. Considering the social context of sleep represents a significant shift in sleep research and also offers a critical opportunity for investigating sleep as a novel pathway linking close relationships with health. The purpose of this review is to integrate research that focuses on how sleep affects or is affected by close relationship functioning and to provide a heuristic framework for understanding the interface between close relationships, sleep, and health. Exploring the links between close relationships and sleep may contribute to our understanding of why some relationships confer health benefits, whereas others confer health risks.

Who Needs More Sleep? Comparing Undergraduate and Graduate Students' Sleep Habits in a National U.S. Sample

“…Graduate students were more likely to be in a committed relationship and although the current study did not inquire about sleep patterns, Troxel's (2010) review indicates that those with a sleep partner frequently report better sleep patterns than those who do not have a sleep partner or when the sleep partner is not present. Similarly, others (Cacioppo et al, 2002) have found that lonely individuals have poor sleep patterns compared to those less lonely.…”

Nonshared Environmental Influences on Sleep Quality: A Study of Monozygotic Twin Differences

“…It has been suggested that, from an evolutionary perspective women may rely on their larger, more dominant male partner to provide safety and protection. Thus, it is plausible that if a couple are experiencing relationship difficulties, the woman may not experience the safety and security necessary for optimal sleep (Troxel 2010). Evolutionarily this may seem plausible; however, males may also require feelings of safety and security emotionally for optimum sleep.…”

Insomnia in Alcohol Dependence: Predictors of Symptoms in a Sample of Veterans Referred from Primary Care

“…[7][8][9] Because alcohol dependence often cooccurs with other psychiatric disorders, 4 it is unclear whether individuals who present with comorbid alcohol dependence and other psychiatric conditions are more likely to experience sleep disturbances than those with alcohol dependence alone. Moreover, there is an association between sleep parameters and various socio-demographic factors (eg, age, 10 race/ethnicity, 11 and marital status 12 ) in relatively healthy participants, which may also confound this relationship.…”