More marital happiness = less sleep complaints

June 9, 2008

Marital happiness may lower the risk of sleep problems in Caucasian women, while marital strife may heighten the risk, according to a research abstract that will be presented on Monday at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).

The study, authored by Wendy M. Troxel, PhD of the University of Pittsburgh, focused on 1938 married women from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation, a multi-site study of mid-life women, with an average age of 46 years.

Out of the study participants, 51 percent were Caucasian, 20 percent African-American, 9 percent Hispanic, nine percent Chinese, and 11 percent Japanese. The subjects reported their marital happiness, sleep quality and frequency of difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or early morning awakenings.

According to the results, higher levels of marital happiness were associated with a lesser risk of having multiple sleep complaints, but only among Caucasian women. Happily married women had less difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, fewer early morning awakenings, and more restful sleep as compared to unhappily married women.

“Divorced individuals tend to have more sleep problems than those who are married; however, among the married, we know very little about how differences in marital quality may be linked with sleep,” said Dr. Troxel. “The present results show that happily married women have fewer sleep problems than unhappily married women.”

Sleep plays a vital role in promoting a woman’s health and well being. Getting the required amount of sleep is likely to enhance a woman’s overall quality of life, including the quality of her relationship. Yet, women face many potential barriers – such as depression or psychological stress– that can disrupt and disturb her sleep. Overcoming these challenges can help her enjoy the daily benefits of feeling alert and well rested.

It is recommended that women get between seven and eight hours of nightly sleep.

Source: American Academy of Sleep Medicine


print this article email this article download pdf blog this article bookmark this article     Stumble it Digg this share on Facebook retweet share on Reddit add to delicious
Rate this story - 3.5 /5 (10 votes)

Rank Filter

Move the slider to adjust rank threshold, so that you can hide some of the comments.


Display comments: newest first

  • CPC - Jun 11, 2008
    • Rank: not rated yet
    so leading a happy life makes you sleep better? What a surprise! How much money was spent on this?

June 9, 2008 all stories

Comments: 1

3.5 /5 (10 votes)
  • Stumble this up

  • Digg this

  • share this

  • hide
  • Related Stories




  • hide
  • Relevant PhysicsForums posts

Other News

Transcendental Meditation helped heart disease patients lower cardiac disease risks by 50 percent

Medicine & Health / Health

created 7 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 1

Patients with coronary heart disease who practiced the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation® technique had nearly 50 percent lower rates of heart attack, stroke, and death compared to nonmeditating controls, according ...


Analyzing structural brain changes in Alzheimer's disease

Analyzing structural brain changes in Alzheimer's disease

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 9 hours ago | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0

In a study that promises to improve diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease, scientists at the University of California, San Diego have developed a fast and accurate method for quantifying subtle, ...


Researchers create compound that boosts anti-inflammatory fat levels

Medicine & Health / Research

created 9 hours ago | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 1

UC Irvine pharmacology researchers have discovered a way to boost levels of a natural body fat that helps decrease inflammation, pointing to possible new treatments for allergies, illnesses and injuries related to the immune ...


Scientists begin to unravel what makes pandemic H1N1 tick

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 10 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

As the number of deaths related to the pandemic H1N1 virus, commonly known as "swine flu," continues to rise, researchers have been scrambling to decipher its inner workings and explain why the incidence is lower than expected ...


Antioxidant found in vegetables has implications for treating cystic fibrosis

Medicine & Health / Research

created 10 hours ago | popularity 3 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that a dietary antioxidant found in such vegetables as broccoli and cauliflower protects cells from damage caused by chemicals generated during the ...