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LU: Women require more sleep than Men

According to new research from a Loughborough University study, women require more sleep than men. While people aged between 18 and 65 need eight to ten hours of sleep a night, studies show that women need on average, more sleep than men. There are lots of reasons for this, which we’ll discuss in more detail later on. This article will talk about the main reasons that women need more sleep than men. And will also suggest ways that quality of sleep can be easily improved. Getting a better night’s sleep is much easier than you would think.

To start off with, we’ll look at why women need more sleep. Then, we will follow up with how achieving a better quantity and quality of sleep is doable. When it comes to your sleep habits, it’s not just about quantity but also quality of sleep.

Why do women need more sleep than men?

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Up until recently, researchers believed that age was the main factor determining how much sleep we need. However, a study from Loughborough University found that on average, women need at least 20 minutes of extra sleep than men. That being said, each woman is different, so some may require more or less extra sleep than that. Of course, age is also a factor when it comes to how much sleep we need. But on average, women need a little extra time to doze than men do.

20 minutes may not seem like a lot, but when you add it up over the course of a week, that’s an hour and 20 minutes of extra sleep women need compared to men. Over the space of a month, that’s over five hours extra sleep women are getting if they have that extra 20 minutes. The question is, why do women need extra snoozing time?

According to the sleep study, which compared a group of 210 middle-aged men and women, women’s brains are wired differently. That is why women tend to need more sleep than men. This is because when we sleep, our brains recover and repair themselves. The amount of sleep needed is determined by how hard the brain works during the day. It’s no secret that women and men are from different planets, but who would've thought our brains would be wired differently?

Another part of the study suggested that what causes women’s brains to work harder is the fact that they multi-task.  Most men stick to doing one thing at a time, whereas women are more likely to deal with two or three different tasks at once. This means that their brains work harder, and so, need more time to repair and recover. That’s why when it comes to sleep, women require at least an extra 20 minutes of rest so that their brains can recover properly.

Professor Horne, head of the Loughborough University sleep study, has made one exception to the rule. That’s that men who work in a job that is complex and includes a lot of decision making may also need an extra 20 minutes of sleep. This is purely because their brains are working extremely hard, dealing with various tasks and decisions. However, in most cases, women tend to need more sleep than men. As part of the study, it was also noted that the need for more sleep affects people with two X chromosomes - the reason for this is unknown.

Another reason women need more sleep than men is because a lack of sleep makes them more prone to mental health problems. For women, a lack of sleep is associated with feelings of depression and anxiety, as well as various mental health conditions. However, this isn’t the case for men, a lack of sleep has very little impact on them. This research directly links to a study done at Duke University in South Carolina. The study found that women suffer more than men physically and mentally when they don’t get enough sleep.

When it comes to dealing with stress and mental health problems, there’s a clear link between sleep and these problems. Women who don’t get their full 8-10 hours a night are more prone to suffering from these conditions. Whereas, a lack of sleep in men seems to have to correlation to these problems and conditions.

How can women achieve more sleep?

In terms of how women can achieve more sleep, it’s rather simple. When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, it’s not just about quantity but also quality. A woman who sleeps for eight hours but is woken up in the night will feel the same as women who got four hours of sleep. It’s not just about quantity of sleep but also quality.

For a good night’s sleep, having a comfortable mattress is one of the most important things. Studies have shown that one of the most important factors for getting a good night sleep is where you sleep. One of the most common reasons for low-quality sleep is sleeping on an old mattress. If you're not comfortable, getting a good night's sleep is close to impossible.

Another factor that affects the quality of sleep you achieve is your environment. If you want to get a good quality night’s sleep, the environment you sleep in needs to be just right. This means that it can’t be too hot or too cold where you sleep, nor too stuffy. It also means that the level of light must be just right. If there is light shining into the room, this can make getting a good night’s sleep almost impossible.

The Loughborough University study has shown firstly, that women need more sleep than men and also why this is. Until recently it was thought age was the main factor when it comes to how much sleep you need but that’s not the case. Because of how women's brain’s work, in most cases they need more sleep than men.