Health
Couples who cuddle before sleep reap key health benefits, study reveals
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Snuggling with your partner could be a win-win for your health.
Cuddling at night promotes more secure attachment between partners and lowers stress levels, according to a new study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
Researchers from Auburn University examined data from 143 heterosexual “bed-sharing” couples, analyzing associations between physical closeness at sleep onset, perceived stress, attachment insecurity and sleep disturbance.
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Factors including daytime sleepiness, income, age, relationship length, sleep diagnoses and whether children or pets sleep in the bed were also considered.
The results revealed that couples who assumed a physically closer position upon going to sleep were indirectly linked with “lower couple insecure attachment” (when they have trouble connecting emotionally) and lower stress.
Couples who cuddle are less stressed and more secure, according to a new study. (iStock)
The researchers found no “significant” associations between physical closeness at sleep onset and the chances of sleep disturbance.
While stress was found to be lower among cuddlers, the research found that cuddling did not increase sleep quality.
The researchers concluded that physical closeness at sleep onset “may be a promising and amenable avenue for improving relational and physiological well-being.”
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Sleep expert Wendy Troxel, PhD — a RAND Corporation senior behavioral specialist and licensed clinical psychologist in Utah — shared with Fox News Digital how these findings highlight the “vital role” that shared time and physical touch play in emotional well-being.
Troxel, author of the book “Sharing the Covers: Every Couple’s Guide to Better Sleep,” commented on the “interesting” finding that cuddling did not influence sleep quality.
A sleep expert says, “The simple act of cuddling before sleep likely triggers powerful psychological and physiological responses.” (iStock)
“This suggests that it’s the moments spent together before falling asleep — not necessarily sharing the entire night — that have the greatest positive effect on a relationship,” said the expert, who was not involved in the study.
“The simple act of cuddling before sleep likely triggers powerful psychological and physiological responses, such as increased emotional security and the release of oxytocin — the ‘bonding hormone’ associated with intimacy.”
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These effects help reduce stress and deepen connection, which makes pre-sleep cuddling a “meaningful ritual for emotional health,” Troxel said.
“Whether you and your partner sleep together or apart, don’t skip the cuddle before bed,” she advised. “Even brief moments of closeness can enhance your relationship and overall well-being.”
While the study found that most couples sleep in the same position as their partner, 36.3% reported not touching or cuddling at night.
While the study found that most couples sleep in the same position as their partner, 36.3% reported not touching or cuddling at night. (iStock)
Those who did touch reported sleeping back to back (19.6%), having some contact, like touching an arm or leg (23.1%), spooning (13.3%), intertwining (4.2%) and sleeping face to face (3.5%).
Study co-author Josh R. Novak, PhD, associate professor at the Auburn University Department of Human Development and Family Science, confirmed in a statement to Fox News Digital that the more physically close position couples are in, the more feelings of “relational safety” were present due to lower stress.
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“Sleep is one of the most important ways we can manage our physical, relational and mental health,” the researcher said.
“Research has substantiated that sleep and relationship functioning are bidirectional and cyclical — meaning that bad sleep can negatively impact your relationship, and difficult relationship dynamics can lead to worse sleep.”
“Sleep is one of the most important ways we can manage our physical, relational and mental health.”
Novak added that non-sexual physical affection has generally been deemed “critical” for relationships, but there seems to be more “emotional and relational benefit” when there’s full-body contact.
“My study suggests that cuddling with a partner can be both a barometer of how a relationship is doing and a way to maintain or repair a relationship, as well as lower stress levels,” he said.
Cuddling with a partner can test the strength of a relationship and help mend it, the study’s lead researcher suggested. (iStock)
The researchers did not study how much time was spent in a cuddling position, leaving Novak to be “skeptical” of whether it leads to sleep disturbances.
“What happens most often is that cuddling only happens for a bit until both partners fall asleep, but there could be a select few that cuddle throughout the whole night,” he said.
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“My hunch is that most use cuddling to induce sleepiness and the feeling of safety and to reduce stress and anxiety, and that afterward either their body temperature increases too much, or there is discomfort and the need to shift around becomes necessary.”
Novak encouraged couples to cuddle if stress levels are high, as it’s a nonverbal way to feel “secure and safe.”
“Although research needs to substantiate this further, it might also imply that, in the face of conflict during the day that is not solved or repaired … cuddling might be a way to start that process and move toward repair,” he added.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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