The 6 benefits of hugging and cuddling in bed

The way in which we experience intimacy and affection with other people can make a difference. Something as simple as cuddling in bed, cuddling and making the spoon stretched out on the mattress makes the day change color. And, in the long term, if we transform it into a habit, it is a routine that gives us several advantages that we should not miss out on.

Now, it may seem that being something so simple, hugs and caresses in bed change little, that they are simply entertainment as banal as playing cards could be. This is not the case, for several reasons.

The physical and psychological benefits of cuddling in bed

Below you can see several of the reasons why spooning and cuddling on the bed makes our lives a little better.

1. Increases oxytocin levels

Oxytocin is a hormone that our body secretes in contexts in which we experience the sensation of living something intimate with someone else. For example, it exerts more influence on our brain when we look someone in the eye for several seconds at a time... even if that someone is a dog.

It is a loop: the more oxytocin we secrete, the more in line with an intimate relationship we behave, which in turn causes us to secrete a greater amount of this substance. he result is that we get used to relating the presence of the other person to these situations, so that in other contexts, even far from the bedroom, the relationship becomes more intimate.

• Related article: "Oxytocin, the hormone of love and affective bonds"

2. Help bear the pain

Oxytocin, in addition to participating in our affective relationships and helping us experience a pleasant sensation, makes us better bear pain. To put it in some way, by making us feel "like on a cloud", our attention stops focusing so much on unpleasant stimuli.

3. It gives us more freedom to move

We can hug almost anywhere, but the bed, despite not always being at hand, is the ideal place to do it.

The reason is that while the verticality of standing hugs limits the type of physical contact that we can make, making the arms always remain more or Less supported on the same area of ​​the other person's body, when lying on the mattress it is possible to adopt all kinds of positions to hug, kiss or pamper each other.

4. Enriches married life

There are many people who associate the bed with the act of sleeping, or having sex. This means that when you lie on the mattress, your body automatically begins to activate physiologically in one of these two modalities: either the libido rises or the feeling of sleepiness and fatigue appears. This is a phenomenon known as simple conditioning.

Using the bed for other things on a regular basis it makes our life richer, since, among other things, it gives us the option of considering the possibility of using that piece of furniture to its full potential. And it may seem silly, but cuddling and cuddling in bed is a unique experience, very different from other ways to create intimacy and bond.

• You may be interested in: "Classical conditioning and its most important experiments"

5. Helps fight stress

There are many studies in which it becomes clear that physical contact with someone you love causes stress and anxiety levels to drop significantly. Besides, the greater the emotional bond that unites two people, the greater the therapeutic effects that hugs and pampering have on our body. cortisol, which is the hormone associated with stress, is secreted in less quantity when we hug and when these hugs include direct contact between one skin and the other.

Also, we must remember that the root of many psychological and physical problems is stress. The hormones secreted during this state, and the wear and tear produced by their effects, cause a greater weakness against certain bacteria and viruses, which can proliferate to a critical mass sufficient to cause disease more or less serious.

6. Improves the development of babies

Hugs and pampering in bed are not exclusive to relationships between lovers, of course. In fact, have a fundamental role in motherhood. For example, premature babies who spend time lying on their mother's chest have been shown to develop fewer health problems and experience better cognitive development than those who spend all their time in the incubator. In addition, these effects are noticeable in the long term, since it is an advantage that continues to be present at least 10 years after birth.

• Related article: "The Attachment Theory and the bond between parents and children"