We all know there is something so comforting about sleeping next to your partner. You feel safe and loved and can fall asleep much easier. However, when you are having trouble falling asleep, you can trick yourself by smelling your partner’s shirt.
New psychology research from the University of British Colombia claims that people who smelled their romantic partner’s scent before going to sleep had better sleep quality. Researchers concluded that the effects of being exposed to your partner’s smell were like those of sleeping aid pills.
The study was conducted on 155 participants. They gave each participant two t-shirts. One t-shirt was previously worn by their significant other, while the other was clean or worn by a random person. Participants were instructed to use t-shirts as pillowcases. To make sure that the body odor was present in high concentration, partners of the participants in the research were asked to wear t-shirts for 24 hours. They were also instructed to avoid using deodorants and perfumes, as well as to avoid any physical activity, smoking, or eating foods that could affect their smell. After partners wore t-shirts, they were put in freezers to make to preserve the scent for longer.
Research participants were given two shirts each, without knowing which one belonged to their partners. Once they placed a t-shirt over their pillow, they slept two nights in a row using each t-shirt. In the mornings, they were asked to complete surveys about how they felt and to rate the quality of their sleep. Participants also wore watches that monitored their movement during the night. They were also asked to guess which shirt belonged to their partner.
At the end of the research, it was concluded that the participants slept better when they were exposed to their partner’s scent. This study shows that there are many factors that can affect our sleep without us realizing it. The exposure to our partner’s smell makes us feel safe, loved, and relaxed, ultimately resulting in better sleep. Snuggling to our partner’s shirt doesn’t seem like such a bad idea, and it might give us some comfort after stressful days.
