Sleep is important not just for your physical health, but also for your emotional well-being. But aside from the rest and restoration that it provides, sleep may also revitalize you and your partner’s relationship.

A study at Huffington Post suggests that there is a connection being quality sleep and feelings of appreciation between partners. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley engaged more than 60 heterosexual couples ages 18 to 56 in three exercises designed to measure how different levels of sleep affect levels of gratitude and appreciation. The first exercise had couples separately list the five things they were thankful for upon waking up. The second had couples keep a record of their sleep schedules and gratitude lists. The final part consisted of discussions between couples and their feelings of appreciation of one another depending on how much they slept.

The results speak for themselves: people who had a good night’s sleep tend to have greater feelings of appreciation for their partners than those who slept poorly. Those who tossed and turned at night had less gratitude in general and often listed down more selfish feelings as opposed to those who slept better.

In addition to the preliminary results, the study also touches on how sleeping habits can be a great factor in the dynamics of a couple in general. So as much as you can, try your best to find time to rest with your partner. If your partner snores, maybe you can fall asleep before he does, but try your best to still share a bed. Intimacy doesn’t only call for passionate embraces in bed; it also means warm snuggles under the covers.

(Photo by scion_cho via Flickr Creative Commons)