Good Night, Sleep Tight: Exploring the Impact of Sleep Quality on Interpersonal Emotion Regulation and Relationship Satisfaction

I examined how people’s sleep quality is associated with how they regulate their partner’s emotions, and how sleep quality and interpersonal emotion regulation are linked to relationship satisfaction. Using samples from two studies and data from intake measures, I found evidence of an association between sleep quality over the past month and relationship satisfaction. I also found evidence of an association between sleep quality and concealing emotions, inauthentic displays of emotion, and mood worsening strategies. Further, there was a link between the use of interpersonal emotion regulation strategies and how satisfied people are with their relationships. These results demonstrate that sleep quality is implicated in how partners interact with each other and may have downstream effects for relationship quality.