Switch to हिंदी

Health, Fitness, Beauty & Diet | Pregnancy & Parenting | Diseases & Home Remedies | TheHealthSite.com

Health, Fitness, Beauty & Diet | Pregnancy & Parenting | Diseases & Home Remedies | TheHealthSite.com

हिंदी
  • Health A-Z
  • Diabetes
  • Diseases
    • Type 1 Diabetes
    • Type 2 Diabetes
    • Cancer
    • Heart Attack
    • Pneumonia
    • Diseases A-Z
  • Diet & Fitness
    • Weight Management
    • Exercise & Body Building
    • Diet & Recipes
    • Yoga
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Pregnancy
    • Conceiving
    • Infertility
    • Labour & Delivery
    • Pregnancy week-by-week
    • Breastfeeding
    • Baby Names
  • Beauty
    • Skin
    • Hair
    • Grooming
  • Photos
  • Videos
Home / Health News / Want to get better sleep at night? Smell your partner’s shirt

Want to get better sleep at night? Smell your partner’s shirt

A new study provides evidence that merely sleeping with a partner's scent improves sleep efficiency.

By: ANI   | | Updated: February 17, 2020 11:04 am
Tags: Better sleep benefits  Improve sleep  sleep quality  
sleep quality
Study participants experienced less tossing and turning when exposed to their partners' scent

Smelling the shirt of your partner can improve the quality of sleep, suggests new research. Also Read - Covid-19 severely affects sleep and increases stress; Here's how to snooze better

The research was conducted by researchers of the University of British Columbia. Also Read - Healthy sleep habits help lower risk of heart failure, reveals a study



The researchers found that study participants who were exposed to their partner’s scent overnight experienced better sleep quality, even though their partner was not physically present. Also Read - Still tired after 8 hours of sleep? 6 possible reasons

“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 the lead researcher, Marlise Hofer.

“We saw an effect similar in size to what has been reported from taking oral melatonin supplements — often used as a sleep aid,” added Hofer.

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.

To capture body odour on the t-shirts, the participants’ partners were given a clean t-shirt to wear for 24 hours, and were asked to refrain from using deodorant and scented body products, smoking, exercising and eating certain foods that could affect their body odour. The t-shirts were then frozen to preserve their scent.

Each participant was then given two shirts to place over their pillows, without being told which one was which. They spent two consecutive nights sleeping with each t-shirt. Each morning, they completed a survey about how well-rested they felt.

Their sleep quality was also objectively measured using an actigraphy sleep watch that monitored their movements throughout the night. At the end of the study, participants guessed if the shirts they had been sleeping with had previously been worn by their partner.

Participants reported feeling more well-rested on the nights when they believed they were sleeping with their partner’s scent. Moreover, regardless of their beliefs about scent exposure, data from the sleep watches indicated that objective sleep improved when participants were actually exposed to their partner’s scent.

“One of the most surprising findings is how a romantic partner’s scent can improve sleep quality even outside of our conscious awareness,” said another researcher Frances Chen.

“The sleep watch data showed that participants experienced less tossing and turning when exposed to their partners’ scent, even if they weren’t aware of whose scent they were smelling,” Chen added.

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 signalling recent physical proximity, the mere scent of a partner may have similar benefits.

Hofer said the research could pave the way for future work examining the efficacy of simple and effective methods of improving sleep, such as bringing a partner’s shirt the next time you travel alone.

The researchers are currently recruiting participants for a pilot study to investigate whether the scent of parents can improve their infant’s sleep quality.

The research findings have been accepted for publication in Psychological Science. The research was supported by an American Psychological Foundation Visionary Grant, a UBC graduate student research award and a Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery Grant.

Published : February 17, 2020 10:36 am | Updated:February 17, 2020 11:04 am
Read Disclaimer

Stay alert parents! TikTok's viral Skullbreaker challenge can lead to serious injuries

Stay alert parents! TikTok's viral Skullbreaker challenge can lead to serious injuries

Low carb, high protein diets may help alleviate hospital-acquired infections

Low carb, high protein diets may help alleviate hospital-acquired infections

Please Wait. Article Loading ....

Coronavirus Updates

Coronavirus Updates

Stay Informed, Be Safe

  • UK COVID Strain May Be More Infectious But There Is No Need To Panic: Experts
  • South African coronavirus variant may 'escape antibodies, cause reinfection'
  • ‘Enhanced immunity, no serious adverse events’: Lancet releases Covaxin’s Phase 1 trial data
  • Covid-19 variant detected in UK may be ‘more deadly than the older virus strain’
  • Beware! Coronavirus can damage your brain in many ways. Here’s what to know

Health Calculators

BMI Calculator
bmi Calculator
Ideal Body Weight
ideal body weight
Daily Calorie Intake
Daily calorie intake
Calories Burned
calories burned

Related Stories

Covid-19 severely affects sleep and increases stress; Here's how to snooze better

Covid-19 severely affects sleep and increases stress; Here's how to snooze better

Healthy sleep habits help lower risk of heart failure, reveals a study

Healthy sleep habits help lower risk of heart failure, reveals a study

Still tired after 8 hours of sleep? 6 possible reasons

Still tired after 8 hours of sleep? 6 possible reasons

Home remedies for insomnia: Meditation, massage, exercises and more

Home remedies for insomnia: Meditation, massage, exercises and more

Want to speed up weight loss during quarantine? Take afternoon naps

Want to speed up weight loss during quarantine? Take afternoon naps

Health News in Hindi

बिल्ली के बच्चे में कोरोनावायरस संक्रमण से वैज्ञानिक परेशान, जानवर पालने वाले रहें सावधान

आंध्र प्रदेश में कोरोना वैक्सीन लगाने के बाद हेल्थ वर्कर में दिखा साइड इफेक्ट, इलाज के दौरान हुई मौत!

इम्यूनिटी मजबूत करने के लिए गर्म पानी के साथ खाएं काली मिर्च, होंगे सेहत को ये 4 अन्य फायदे

Eczema Myths: एक्जिमा को लेकर न मन में न लाएं ये 5 गलतफहमी, वरना आपकी त्‍वचा हो जाएगी और ज्‍यादा खराब

Vaccine Donation By India: भारत की दरियादिली की दुनियाभर में तारीफ, डब्‍ल्‍यूएचओ प्रमुख ने पीएम मोदी का किया ‘शुक्रिया’

Read All

Recent Posts

  • Lactose intolerant? 5 best non-dairy substitutes for milk
  • Struggling with hair thinning? 5 hair masks for fine hair to soothe your scalp
  • Get your daily dose of potassium from these foods if you don’t like bananas
  • Load up on antioxidants to alleviate the risk of cancer and heart diseases
  • UK COVID Strain May Be More Infectious But There Is No Need To Panic: Experts

About The health Site

TheHealthSite.com is India's largest health site with more than 40 lakh unique visitors per month. We focus on fitness, beauty, health, pregnancy and more.

Most popular health and wellness website in India in 2012 at the Website of the year awards.

health@corp.india.com
+91 – 22 – 6697 1234
Landline Phone number 91 – 22 – 2490 0302.

ZEE ENTERTAINMENT ENTERPRISES LTD, 18th floor, A-Wing, Marathon Futurex, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013.

Useful Links

  • Weight Loss
  • Keto Diet Tips
  • Skin Care Tips
  • Intermittent Fasting
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Ashwagandha
  • Cancer
  • Pneumonia
  • Diarrhoea
  • Dengue
  • Typhoid
  • Tuberculosis
  • Chickenpox
  • Chikungunya
  • Depression
  • Hepatitis
  • Diabetes
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Arthritis
  • Swine Flu
  • Baby Names
  • Cough and cold
  • Heart Attack
  • Breast Cancer
  • Ebola Virus
  • Dengue
  • Malaria
  • International Yoga Day
  • Hypotension
  • Heart Failure
  • Asthma
  • Brain Tumour
  • Celebrity Fitness
  • Goitre
  • HIV/AIDS

We respect your privacy

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Author Profiles

Copyright © 2021 Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved.