What Your Sleeping Pattern Says About How Good Your Relationship Is
Looks like being cuddle buddies has some major perks!
Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock What goes on between the sheets can say a lot about you and your partner, but not in the way you think. According to a study by the University of Hertfordshire, your sleeping habits are a great way to gauge just how well your relationship is going.
So, how do we tell what your sleeping pattern says about your relationship? Apparently, there's a direct correlation between physical and emotional intimacy.
The study went on to say that "An overwhelming 94 percent of couples who touch while sleeping said they were happy, while only 68 percent of couples who didn't touch while snoozing expressed being satisfied with their relationship."
Looks like being cuddle buddies has some major perks!
The study also mentioned that 86 percent of couples who slept closer together reported being happier than those who laid further apart. While it comes as no surprise that body language sends a lot of signals, the fact that there's a serious amount of studies backing this up is.
It makes sense that being distant in bed translates to dissatisfaction in your relationship. After all, your subconscious can sometimes let on more than you do.
It's really interesting to note that our personalities also influence our behavior in the sheets. Relationship psychologist Corrine Sweet stated, "Couples fall into habitual ways of sleeping together that suit their personalities and personal preferences. These are negotiated at the outset, so if something changes in how they sleep together, this can reflect a change in their relationship and cause concern for the other partner."
But here's where the twist comes in: Being a cuddle master (yes, I said it) isn't everything. Ironically, Travelodge's research suggests that sleeping with your backs facing each other is actually a sign that your relationship couldn't be better. Known as the liberty position (and as one of the most common sleeping positions), the 46 percent of lovers who sleep this way feel intimate towards each other without having to be interdependent.
But if he's more into being completely off to the side, you may have a problem. According to Travelodge, "If hands and/or arms are held or pressed tightly or straight down at the sides, it means 'I want to be alone'."
Talk about mixed signals.
Social psychologist Amy Cuddy stated in her TED Talk that how small you make yourself in sleep is sometimes a sign of uncertainty.
Her advice? "Basically, our bodies change our minds, our minds change our behaviors, and our behaviors change our outcomes." So your confidence determines what body language you give off in bed.
My suggestion? Stay up all night and cuddle with Netflix instead. No one ever gets hurt watching Frank Underwood slay on House of Cards. Well, unless you're one of his enemies. In that case, you're royally screwed.
When she isn't researching the latest viral news, lifestyle, and relationship studies, binge-watching YouTube videos (for science!), or creating vision boards on the hottest beauty and fashion trends on Pinterest, Cassandra Rose is nerding out over her comic books and all things Sherlock Holmes.