The study links this to improved well-being and positive behavioral traits

Hit the snooze button without feeling guilty; Recent research suggests that those extra minutes of sleep may be good for your well-being. Researchers have found that sleeping an extra 46 minutes is associated with improved well-being and positive traits such as gratitude, flourishing, resilience and pro-social behavior.

According to recent research, even subtle changes in the amount of sleep can affect elements of mental well-being test published in the Journal of Positive Psychology.

Studies have shown that people with positive traits, such as gratitude and resilience, sleep better. Scientists in the latest study tested the reverse hypothesis, i.e. whether extra sleep helps improve positive behavioral traits.

“This study is stimulating because it expands our understanding of the health effects of sleep restriction and extension by adding variables related to the creation of booming moral communities,” said Sarah Schnitker, a researcher on the study. press release.

Researchers studied 90 youthful adults randomly assigned to three groups: sleep restriction, sleep prolongation, or normal sleep. During study sessions Monday through Friday, participants wore wrist-worn actigraphy devices that tracked sleep patterns. The researchers measured participants’ levels of flourishing, resilience and gratitude and noted improvement over the course of a week when sleep was increased and worse when sleep was restricted.

“We observed that people who increased their sleep time by 46 minutes a day felt greater resilience, gratitude, life satisfaction and a sense of meaning in life. When people reduced sleep by an average of 37 minutes a night, they experienced declines in mood, resilience, flourishing and gratitude, said Michael K. Scullin, the study’s principal investigator.

The results suggest that extra sleep not only improves your current mood and outlook, but has a far-reaching impact on your overall well-being. Researchers have also noted broader social benefits, finding that sleep influences prosocial behavior. Well-rested people expressed gratitude more often and were more positive in social interactions.

“It turns out that getting more sleep has a broader impact than just feeling more alert during the day. “Better sleep helps you have a clear vision for your life and be more resilient in the face of challenges that may arise tomorrow,” Scullin explained.