We all know a bad night's sleep can affect your performance in the office the next day and even alter your mood. But it turns out a lack of slumber an also have serious consequences on your love too!
According to a new study that racked 78 different couples over two weeks, just ONE bad night's sleep can cause increased relationship conflict. Why? The worst couples slept, the less empathy they showed to their partners and the harder they found it to judge each other's emotion. And that wasn't the only side effect!
Read more ¿Qué más?: 5 Tips to napping like a baby to stay healthy
Poor sleep also induced more selfish and negative feelings in partners, making each individual feel less appreciative of each other. In turn, that also made it harder for them to resolve their differences.
The good news? Improving sleep can sometimes help relationships as it puts you in a better mood, restores and kicks off a cycle of other benefits as well.
Honestly, I'm not all too surprised to hear this. I know that I personally am not a happy camper after a bad sleep. That's why I try my best to get at least 7-8 hours a night–and why you should too! But just in case that wasn't enough to convince you, check out 6 other ways that lack of sleep can affect your health:
Memory loss
Deep sleep aids in memory formation whereas not getting enough time to snooze has the opposite effect and make you more forgetful.
Depression
Lack of sleep and insomnia can contribute to symptoms of depression. In fact, some research has found that people who were diagnosed with depression or anxiety were more likely to sleep less than six hours at night.
Skin aging
We've all looked a little puffy-eyed and worse for the wear after a bad night's sleep. But chronic sleep loss can also cause fine lines and lackluster skin, aging your overall appearance.
Serious health conditions
Chronic sleep loss can put you at risk for everything from high blood pressure to heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. If that's enough to convince you to do everything you can to get a good night's sleep, I don't know what is!
Weight gain
Lack of sleep is often related to an increase in hunger and appetite–which in turn, can lead to weight gain and in some cases, even obesity.
Lack of sex drive
Sleep specialists have concluded that sleep-deprived men and women report lower libidos and less interest in sex, probably due to depleted energy and increased tension. Also not too good for your relationship, I can imagine…
