Compassionate people sleep better at night.
Researchers in Finland have examined the relationship between compassion and sleep quality in over 1,000 young adults in the country over a period of 11 years.
Participants underwent compassion assessments at the beginning and end of the study and also had their sleeping patterns evaluated on three occasions.
The team found that having a clear conscience had better quality sleep and were less likely to be affected by issues such as insomnia.
However, there was no link between compassion and sleep duration.
They wrote: “There is an increasing need for novel interventions to reduce sleep difficulties. Our findings provide the first pieces of evidence that compassion for others could buffer against sleep difficulties.”
