Why Women Need More Sleep Than Men? Here Are The Factors Affecting Sleep Cycles In The Two Genders

Menstrual cycles, pregnancy and menopause altered women’s sleep architecture due to which the difference in gender predominance suffering from different sleep disorders was observed.

Sleep is a necessity. An average adult needs between 7 and 9 hours of sleep every night to feel refreshed and for the body to recover from the fatigue that we go through daily. But did you know that men and women require different amounts of sleep?

The reasons behind the difference in sleeping patterns between men and women are plenty. As far as sleeping disorders are concerned, a study titled “Gender differences in sleep disorders” authored by Vidya Krishnan and Nancy A Collop highlights the findings behind the differences in sleep disorders based on the biological processes of men and women.

The gender-related differences are highlighted in the study in the form of findings. The research says that studies done on insomnia reveal that women are more likely to experience insomnia as compared to men. Other disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome are also predominantly seen in women. But rapid eye moment sleep behavior disorder and Kleine-Levin syndrome are more common in men.

The study also highlighted that gender differences in sleep became apparent after the onset of puberty. Menstrual cycles, pregnancy and menopause altered women’s sleep architecture due to which the difference in gender predominance suffering from different sleep disorders was observed.

According to a document summarising the findings of different studies on sleeping habits and disorders in women, menstruating (41 percent), perimenopausal (45 percent) and postmenopausal (40 percent) women are significantly more likely than pregnant (29 percent) and post-partum (17 percent) women to report getting a good night’s sleep every night or almost every night.

In fact, 30 percent of pregnant women and 42 percent of post-partum women report rarely or never getting a good night’s sleep, compared to 15 percent among all women.

Moreover, women who did not get a good night’s sleep every night or almost every night were more likely to experience daytime sleepiness, drowsy driving, consume more caffeine and have symptoms of sleep disorders like insomnia or another at least a few nights a week.

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