At the 23rd annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Society, or SLEEP 2009, taking place in Seattle (please, no Sleepless in Seattle jokes, that movie made me crazy), Wendy M. Troxel, Ph.D., presented a report [1] about an eight-year study, and it’s the kind of study that makes my blood boil, which is a bad thing, blood boiling, that is, if you’re trying to get a good night’s sleep. According to Dr. Troxel’s report, happily married women sleep better than unhappily married women who sleep better than women who have never married.
For as long as I can recall, I’ve been a lousy sleeper, whether I’ve had stable partners, or not, whether we’ve gotten along or not, and I’ve chalked it up to genetics (thanks, Mom!) only to discover that like many things I’ve blamed on my mother, it’s not her fault, but somehow mine. Please debunk this study, Bella DePaulo [2] (author of Singled Out [3]: How Singles are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After) so I can sleep better tonight.
Update: I contacted Bella DePaulo and she looked into this study. Please read her blog on the subject:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/living-single/200906/if-you-get-married-will-you-sleep-better [4]
Photo: .delila.’s photostream [5]