Who needs longer sleep men or women?

Jul. 14, 2016

Did you know that new research shows that women need more sleep than men? Did you know women’s sleep apnea symptoms are also different than men? The focus of this blog is women and their sleep.

According to researchers at the Loughborough University (U.K.-based Sleep Research Centre) women tend to multi- task more which is mentally and emotionally draining. This could also be the reason women need more sleep than men. According to Jim Horne, sleep researcher: “Women’s brains are wired differently, so their sleep need will be slightly greater. Women tend to multi-task—they do lots at once and are flexible, and so they use more of their actual brain than men do,”

Hormonal differences are partly to blame for the distinctions in women’s sleep patterns, while anatomical differences also play a role. Women are more likely than men to experience insomnia, depression and daytime fatigue and women also benefit from more deep sleep than men. Women’s circadian cycles typically run slightly shorter than men’s and women tend to fall asleep and wake up earlier.

Sleepiness in women also presents differently than sleepiness in men. Studies were done with 210 middle-aged men and women and found that poor sleep is more associated with high levels of distress, hostility, depression and irritability in women. Oddly enough, these symptoms of poor sleep were not as intense in men.

The answer to how much more sleep do women require is as little as 20 minutes or more. So, go ahead ladies, enjoy that extra sleep!

Next month the focus of the blog is the difference in men and women’s sleep apnea.

If you believe that your sleep troubles may be due to sleep apnea rather than another sleep disorder, contact CanSleep to book your free consultation and pick up a diagnostic monitors.

By Bahareh Ezzati (BSc, CPhT, RRT)