For those who have struggled to sleep through their husband's snoring or fought to keep their side of the duvet, it may seem as though a restful night is a thing of the past.

But new research has revealed that married women actually sleep much better than their single counterparts.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pennsylvania, studied the sleep patterns of 360 women, averaging 51 years of age, over the course of eight years.

Participants were asked about their relationship status each year and after six to eight years, scientists visited their homes to record brain waves and eye-movements during three successive nights.

The volunteers also wore wrist monitors for a month to further establish sleep patterns.

The results found that the married women experienced better quality sleep than those who had gained a partner during the eight years.

Dr Wendy Troxel who led the study said: "We speculate that these findings may reflect a 'newlywed effect' or simply the fact that these women may be less adjusted to sleeping in the same bed as their partner than the 'stably married' women."

Overall, the findings suggested that relationship was linked to sleep quality, whether happily married, happily single or at the start of a new romance.

Dr Troxel continued "The current findings dovetail with our previous work.

"They suggest that relationship stability as well as quality may be important protective factors for women's sleep."

So before you give him a kick under the covers, remember that he's a big part of your good night's sleep.