Cuddling Before Bed Boosts Emotional Bonds and Cuts Stress, Study Finds
Sarah Johnson
June 9, 2025
Brief
Cuddling before sleep lowers stress and strengthens emotional bonds, study finds, offering a simple way to boost relationship health.
Embracing your partner before drifting off to sleep isn’t just cozy—it’s a health booster. A recent study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships reveals that couples who cuddle at night foster stronger emotional bonds and significantly reduce stress. Researchers at Auburn University analyzed 143 heterosexual couples who share a bed, diving into how physical closeness at bedtime impacts stress, attachment security, and sleep quality.
The findings? Couples who snuggle up close—whether spooning, intertwining, or just touching—experience lower stress and feel more emotionally secure in their relationships. This physical connection acts like a soothing balm, triggering the release of oxytocin, the so-called ‘bonding hormone,’ which deepens intimacy and calms the mind. Interestingly, while cuddling lowers stress, it doesn’t directly improve sleep quality, suggesting it’s the pre-sleep moments of closeness that work the magic.
Sleep expert Wendy Troxel, PhD, not involved in the study, emphasized to WTFNewsRoom that these moments of physical touch are vital for emotional well-being. ‘It’s not about sharing the whole night glued together,’ she noted, ‘but those brief, intentional cuddles before sleep can strengthen your relationship and overall health.’
The study also revealed that not all couples cuddle—36.3% reported no nighttime touching, while others favored back-to-back (19.6%), light contact (23.1%), spooning (13.3%), intertwining (4.2%), or face-to-face (3.5%) positions. Co-author Josh R. Novak, PhD, highlighted that closer positions correlate with greater feelings of relational safety, making cuddling a powerful tool for both stress relief and relationship maintenance.
So, whether you’re navigating a tough day or just want to feel closer, a pre-sleep cuddle might be the simplest way to nurture your bond and ease your mind. As Novak suggests, it could even be a nonverbal step toward resolving daily conflicts. Why not make it a nightly ritual?
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Editor's Comments
Who knew spooning could be a stress-buster? It’s like your partner’s embrace is a human weighted blanket—calming the soul without the hefty price tag. But let’s be real, if you’re cuddling face-to-face all night, you’re either madly in love or just forgot how to roll over!
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