If you share a bed with your sweetie, consider incorporating this step into your nighttime routine if you aren’t already: a snuggle sesh before sprawling out in starfish position or firing up the CPAP machine. A study found that couples who cuddled prior to drifting off experienced less stress and more feelings of security in the relationship.
The research was conducted by psychologist Josh Novak and cognitive development researcher Kaleigh Miller from Alabama’s Auburn University. They analyzed data from 143 heterosexual couples who had been together for an average of 13 years, and accounted for factors like sleep disorder diagnoses and whether kids or pets also slept in the bed.
In general, individual sleep position preferences didn’t match up with the positions couples took when cuddling. “This finding may suggest that individual sleep position may not be a driver or a factor in how a couple chooses to cuddle at night and rather is driven by a desire or need to be close to one’s partner,” the authors wrote, per Science Alert.
But regardless of preferred sleep positions, the subjects who were most physically close to each other at sleep onset reported feeling lower levels of stress, which was indirectly linked to lower levels of relational insecure attachment.
Noting that while further research is needed, the study authors concluded that “physical closeness at sleep onset may be a promising and amenable avenue for improving relational and physiological well-being.”
What perhaps might not come as a surprise to anyone who runs hot or thrashes around during slumber is that the research didn’t find cuddling at sleep onset to have a positive effect on sleep quality — nor a negative one, for that matter. It also only looked at the positions at one specific moment: right at the onset of sleep. It didn’t measure how people felt after staying in a close position during the night, which many might consider uncomfortable. Furthermore, the researchers note that a causal relationship was not determined, and in fact, having more secure attachment could be why couples feel less stress and cuddle more.
But, while everyone is different, it’s been well documented that physical affection — not just in a romantic sense — can improve our mental health. And when it relates to partners specifically, a 2014 study found that 94% of couples who spent the night in contact with each other reported feeling happy with their relationship, compared to 68% who didn’t touch.
Feeling inspired to get snuggly but are tired of playing little spoon? Try these 21 cuddling positions to find what feels most comfortable for you and your person.
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