How sleeping next to a loved one can improve your well-being

This Valentine's Day, don't forget to cuddle and fall asleep next to someone you love - be it your mother, special someone, a friend or your baby, as research says it not only works wonders for your sleep health but also overall well-being.

Sleeping close to someone you love not only helps you fall asleep faster but has a host of other health benefits too as per a study.

This Valentine's Day, don't forget to cuddle and fall asleep next to someone you love - be it your mother, special someone, a friend or your baby, as research says it not only works wonders for your sleep health but also overall well-being.

Sleeping close to someone you love not only helps you fall asleep faster but has a host of other health benefits too as per a study.

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It so happens that when we sleep alone, we are by ourselves and our mind begins to wander which leads to overthinking. This mental activity makes it more difficult to sleep.

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"This is why sleeping next to someone you love is so beneficial. They’ll give you feelings of security so you begin to relax and drift off. Sleeping with your partner also stimulates the release of a cocktail of chemicals that can help you get a great night’s sleep," says Tim Gray, health optimising biohacker, psychology specialist, entrepreneur and global speaker.

Dozing off close to the person you love help in release of oxytocin (the love hormone), serotonin (contributes to wellbeing and happiness, norepinephrine (helps to regulate sleep and balances stress), vasopressin (increases sleep quality & decreases cortisol) and prolactin (associated with improving the immune system & great sleep), as per Gray.

It also has been seen to reduce the chances of cardiovascular diseases too. Also, skin contact sends signals to your adrenal glands to stop producing cortisol. This means reduces stress, and better sleep.

"The University of North California carried out a sleep and intimacy experiment with 59 women. They asked participants to diarize their hugs, with their oxytocin levels and blood pressure checked on a regular basis. They found that those with the highest levels of oxytocin had the lowest blood pressure," says the expert.

Do you take less or more time to fall asleep?

You may not be enjoying a good night's sleep if you fall asleep too fast or too slow. Northumbria University revealed that that there is a link between the time taken to fall asleep and our overall sleep health.

According to research 10 to 20 minutes is the normal amount of time it should take you to fall asleep for optimal sleep health. If it takes longer than 30 minutes, then your sleep efficiency considerably drops.

Gray says that even if you fall asleep too fast, your sleep score is lower. He adds that the average time it takes someone to fall asleep is actually 7 minutes.