Need an excuse not to go to that party one evening, to stay home and go to bed early? There is nothing better than being in dreamland for a long time and having a good night’s sleep. A good night’s sleep is different for many people. Do women need more sleep than men? It’s an interesting question that you might ask yourself. Here’s the answer.
Need for sleep
Sleep needs differ per person. How much you need to function properly is different for everyone. Other things are said on social media. It is said that women should sleep two hours more than men and that eight hours of sleep (the advice) is not the norm. This is not true. Yet as women we are more likely to sleep more often and that is reflected. Women sleep on average 6 to 28 minutes more than men. There are several reasons for this.
Hormones
Hormones play a major role in women’s sleep. Think of (the week before your) menstruation, pregnancy or menopause. These things regularly have a bad influence. Recognizable? Men don’t suffer from this.
Busy in everyday life
Both men and women have busy lives. They work, possibly have a relationship and children and a social network that they maintain. Women demand more of themselves. Studies have shown that they take on most of the household tasks, from preparing meals to cleaning and taking care of children. Of course this changes, but you notice this at the end of the day. We do several things at the same time and multitask more: quite tiring. For this reason, the brain needs more time to recover from a busy day.
How long do women need to sleep?
It varies per woman, but one study shows that women need to sleep 20 minutes longer. Still, more research is needed. In general, it is especially important to listen to your body, because everyone is different. Far from rested when you get up in the morning? Then it is good to improve the quality of your sleep, which is important to prevent unpleasant consequences.
In short
Sleep needs are therefore different for everyone, and you should not only look at gender. Above all, listen to your body, because the consequences of too little sleep are equally great for both. It affects reaction time, our mood and therefore the long-term risk of anxiety and depression. It also leads to health problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hormonal imbalances and reduced immune function. All reasons to stay home and (both) go to bed. Good night!
