Having trouble sleeping? It turns out smelling your partner's unwashed shirt can help you sleep better.
New psychology research from the University of British Columbia had people wear a shirt for 24 hours, WITHOUT deodorant, perfume, or cologne and then they had those people's significant others sleep with those shirts over their pillow.
The study found that people who got to smell their partner through the night had better sleep quality, felt more well-rested, and got more than an extra hour of sleep per week.
“Our findings provide new evidence that merely sleeping with a partner’s scent improves sleep efficiency. Our participants had an average sleep efficiency improvement of more than two per cent,” said Marlise Hofer, the study’s lead author and a graduate student in the UBC department of psychology. “We saw an effect similar in size to what has been reported from taking oral melatonin supplements—often used as a sleep aid.”
For the study, the researchers analyzed sleep data from 155 participants who were given two identical-looking t-shirts to use as pillowcases—one had been previously worn by their romantic partner, and the other had either been previously worn by a stranger or was clean.
The researchers say the physical presence of a long-term romantic partner is associated with positive health outcomes such as a sense of safety, calm and relaxation, which in turn leads to better sleep. By signaling recent physical proximity, the mere scent of a partner may have similar benefits.
So my old college hoodie, is just as good as Nyquil!
The research findings have been accepted for publication in Psychological Science.
Reprinted from University of British Columbia
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