Sleep, Health, and Relationships (SHARE) Lab

Impact

Funded Since: 2026 | Total Funding: $835,251

Funding Sources: National Institute of Health

Outcomes

Our goal is to understand how couple and family relationships shape sleep, daily rhythms, and health, and to develop relationship-centered approaches that promote lasting health and well-being across the lifespan.

Research Purpose

The SHARE Lab examines how couple and family relationships shape sleep, daily rhythms, and health across adulthood and later life. Because partners and family members share daily routines, environments, and behaviors, their experiences can influence one another’s sleep, health, and well-being. Our research applies a family systems perspective to better understand these interconnected processes and their implications for long-term health.

Our work includes observational and intervention research with couples and families, with a focus on relationship quality, behavioral and social rhythms, cardiovascular health, insomnia, and cognitive functioning. Current research examines how partners’ sleep and daily rhythms are connected to cardiovascular disease risk, how insomnia and cognitive function influence one another in older couples, and how sleep interventions can support spouses caring for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

By examining sleep and health within the context of close relationships, the SHARE Lab seeks to identify pathways for improving health outcomes and developing interventions that benefit both partners. Ultimately, our work aims to strengthen relationship quality, promote healthy sleep and daily rhythms, and support lasting health and well-being across the lifespan.