Sleep may be compromised with bed partner

In a study led by Ada Eban-Rothschild, an assistant professor in the University of Michigan's Department of Psychology, researchers observed the sleep behavior of mice in a social context. The study, published in Current Biology, revealed that mice exhibit a strong need for physical contact before sleep initiation, engaging in cuddling during sleep, driven by an inner motivation termed "somatolonging."

The researchers found that mice willingly forgo their preferred sleep locations to seek social contact, indicating a motivation for prolonged physical connection. The study utilized advanced wireless devices and video recordings to monitor multiple mice within a group simultaneously, revealing synchronization in various neurophysiological measures, including the timing of sleep/wake onset and REM sleep.

Reference: Maria I. Sotelo, Chelsea Markunas, et al., Neurophysiological and behavioral synchronization in group-living and sleeping mice. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.065.