Ah, sleep. For some, it’s a challenge. But what could your gender have to do with your ability to get good ZZZs?
Turns out, a lot. According to the National Sleep Foundation, men and women have very different sleeping rhythms.
We all have different sleep rhythms called circadian rhythms. This helps you naturally know when it’s time to wind down for the day so you can fall asleep. But though each person’s circadian rhythm operates on a 24-hour cycle, the male circadian rhythm is six minutes longer than a woman’s.
What’s more, in general, women have as much of an hour shorter circadian rhythm than men. This means women are more likely to wake early and become sleepy in the evening hours. Conversely, because men have a longer circadian rhythm, they’re more likely to remain alert in the evening hours, fulfilling the “night owl” stereotype.
Insomnia: more likely for women
Because women have shorter sleep cycles, they’re also prone to early morning waking that leads to insomnia. There are a host of reasons for this. For one, research has shown that women are more likely to present with sleep-related complaints overall. This could be due in part to normal hormonal changes throughout a woman’s life, such as pregnancy and causing sleep disturbances.
Men are more affected by sleep disturbances
Researchers in the same study found that men and women experience sleep-related disturbances very differently. Women are more likely to experience restless leg syndrome, but men are more likely to experience conditions such as sleep apnea, which can have far-reaching effects on their health and work performance.
Another study found a lack of sleep caused more work-related issues, such as mistakes on the job, for men than for women. Finally, the study found that men seem to recover slower to sleep deprivation than women do.
As researchers continue to learn about what gender has to do with sleep, more targeted sleep aids can hopefully bring about gender equality in slumber.
