Anecdotal evidence suggests that when it comes to sleeping, men and women do it very differently. Always eager to improve our knowledge of all things sleep related, MiniJumbuk decided to investigate to discover if there was any truth in the matter.
Whilst you may both fall asleep within minutes of hopping into bed that is virtually the extent of similarities when comparing men and women’s sleep behaviour. Both sexes may experience challenges in trying to achieve a good night’s sleep, but for women, it appears there are more obstacles to conquer.
Women need more sleep than men. Continually using the brain to juggle and multitask is mentally draining. Sleep offers the opportunity for the brain to process the day, consolidate memories and regenerate. An extra 20 minutes sleep a day is needed for women to maintain their mental alertness.
Men and women both experience serious sleep issues. While men tend to suffer sleep apnoea, women tend to experience insomnia. Women report facing sleep issues at nearly twice the rate of men and the onset of menopause can introduce a whole new set of complications.
With the ability to increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, poor quality sleep is always cause for concern. Sleep disturbances impact both women and men, but when it comes to sleep deprivation, women report a higher incidence of poor mental health as a direct result.
And of course, there is the age old problem of different sleeping temperatures. For physiological reasons, related to muscle density and differing thermoregulation systems, men tend to sleep warmer than women. Sleeping with a natural, breathable fibre like wool can help to regulate and balance temperature discrepancies between bedfellows for a better night’s sleep.
Source: sleep.org
