title: Daily self-disclosure and sleep in couples.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An emerging literature provides evidence for the association between romantic relationship quality and sleep, an important factor in health and well-being. However, we still know very little about the specific relationship processes that affect sleep behavior. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine how self-disclosure, an important relational process linked to intimacy, relationship satisfaction, and health, is associated with sleep behavior.
  
  
  METHODS
  As part of a larger study of family processes, wives (n = 46) and husbands (n = 38) from 46 cohabiting families completed 56 days of daily diaries. Spouses completed evening diaries assessing daily self-disclosure, relationship satisfaction, and mood and morning diaries assessing the prior night's sleep. Multilevel modeling was used to explore the effects of both daily variation in and average levels across the 56 days of self-disclosure on sleep.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Daily variation in self-disclosure predicted sleep outcomes for wives, but not for husbands. On days when wives self-disclosed more to their spouses than their average level, their subjective sleep quality and sleep efficiency that night improved. Furthermore, daily self-disclosure buffered the effect of high negative mood on sleep latency for wives, but not husbands. In contrast, higher average levels of self-disclosure predicted less waking during the night for husbands, but not for wives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association between self-disclosure and sleep is one mechanism by which daily relationship functioning may influence health and well-being. Gender may play a role in how self-disclosure is associated with sleep.
authors: Department of Psychology, Wayne State University.
authors: Heidi S
authors: HS
authors: Kane
authors: Department of Psychology, Wayne State University.
authors: Richard B
authors: RB
authors: Slatcher
authors: Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles.
authors: Bridget M
authors: BM
authors: Reynolds
authors: Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles.
authors: Rena L
authors: RL
authors: Repetti
authors: Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles.
authors: Theodore F
authors: TF
authors: Robles
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012737:Sex Factors; D012890:Sleep; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data