Optimistic people have better quality nights and are less likely to experience insomnia.
One in three people suffers from sleep disorders in France. To sleep better, it is regularly recommended to play sports, to avoid stimulants after a certain time or not to use screens before bedtime. A new study claims that our behavior could influence our quality of sleep: optimistic people have better quality sleep.
More than 3,500 attendees
In Behavioral Medicine, the research team publishes the conclusions of its work carried out thanks to more than 3,500 participants between 2000 and 2006. They provided information on their sleep twice, 5 years apart. All also responded to a questionnaire where they had to express their level of agreement with a series of statements using a scale of 1 to 5, starting from completely disagree to completely agree. Among the sentences proposed, there was “I do not expect things to go as I wish” or “I am always optimistic about my future”.
The researchers then determined the level of optimism of each of them: for each increase of one point, the quality of sleep was improved by 78%. According to their findings, the most optimistic participants were 74% less likely to suffer from insomnia and were more likely to work 6 to 9 a.m. nights. “Optimistic people are more likely to interpret problems in a positive way, analyzes Dr. Hernandez, research director, this reduces worry and ruminations when falling asleep and during the sleep cycle.”
Good sleep for good health
Poor quality sleep has health consequences. According to Insermsleeping less than 6 hours a night increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 28%. This is not the only danger associated with restless nights: according to several studies, poor sleep can make you irritable, increases the risk of hypertension, weight gain or infection.
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