Miya Pearson
On average, women sleep for 11 minutes more per night than men. While this may not apply to everyone, it does represent real differences between the sexes and how they sleep. Women tend to have more issues affecting their sleep, such as insomnia, depression, and anxiety, which are all strongly associated with insomnia. Fluctuating hormones can also affect the sleep cycle and increase the risk of sleep disturbance. Menopause, for example, can cause women to take longer to fall asleep and spend less time in deep sleep. Additionally, women are more likely to wake up to care for others, a task that disrupts their sleep.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Average sleep time | Women sleep 11 minutes more than men |
| Sleep latency | Males fall asleep faster |
| Sleep stages 1 and 2 | Males spend more time in the first two stages of sleep |
| Deep sleep | Females get more deep sleep |
| REM sleep | The duration of REM sleep is longer in males |
| Circadian rhythms | Females experience the urge to sleep earlier than males |
| Melatonin | Females experience more robust influxes of melatonin |
| Chronotype | Males are more likely to be "night owls" |
| Hormones | Hormonal changes during menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause can cause sleep difficulties for women |
| Sleep disorders | Women are more likely to have insomnia, restless legs syndrome, and sleep apnea |
| Obesity | Males are more likely to be overweight or obese |
| Chronic pain | Females are more likely to experience chronic pain |
| Depression and anxiety | Females are about twice as likely to experience depression and anxiety |
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What You'll Learn
Women's sleep is more disrupted by caregiving responsibilities
Women are more likely to wake up to take care of others in the home, which disrupts their sleep. This is supported by research, which has shown that women spend significantly more time than men on housework and caregiving responsibilities. They are also generally expected to take care of any family needs that arise during the night. This has the potential to reduce the amount of time available for sleep, especially for working mothers.
Biological factors, such as cortisol and sex hormones, also significantly influence women's sleep patterns beyond caregiving roles. Research on mice suggests that females are biologically wired to be more environment-sensitive, linking sleep to caregiving instincts.
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Women are more likely to experience insomnia
Hormones play a significant role in this disparity. Hormonal shifts during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause can wreak havoc on sleep schedules and quality. For instance, during the days leading up to a period, women often face sleep issues due to fluctuating hormone levels and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms. Additionally, one-third of people who menstruate experience trouble sleeping due to cramps, headaches, and bloating, resulting in higher levels of daytime sleepiness, tiredness, and fatigue.
Pregnancy also brings unique challenges, with physical discomfort, acid reflux, the need to urinate frequently, and the baby's movements disrupting sleep. Many pregnant individuals also develop restless legs syndrome or obstructive sleep apnea, further increasing their vulnerability to insomnia.
Menopause, which is characterised by significant hormonal changes, also impacts sleep. Hot flashes and night sweats are common during this time, disrupting sleep. The risk of developing sleep apnea also increases during menopause, causing pauses in breathing that interfere with sleep quality.
Beyond hormonal factors, women's social roles and responsibilities often affect their sleep. They are more likely to be primary caregivers for children and ageing parents, and they spend more time on housework and caregiving responsibilities. These demands can lead to reduced sleep time and disrupted sleep schedules, contributing to insomnia.
Furthermore, women are more likely than men to experience chronic pain conditions such as migraines, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and irritable bowel syndrome. These pain conditions can make it challenging to get a good night's sleep, further increasing the risk of insomnia.
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Women are more likely to experience anxiety and depression
While it is unclear whether men need less sleep than women, research has shown that women are more likely to experience anxiety and depression, which are strongly associated with insomnia. Women are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and individuals with these conditions often have difficulty falling or staying asleep, suffering from sleepiness during the day.
Hormonal changes that occur during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause can also affect a woman's sleep. For example, one-third of menstruating people have trouble sleeping due to cramps, headaches, and bloating, and they report higher levels of daytime sleepiness, tiredness, and fatigue. During pregnancy, women may develop restless leg syndrome, and are more likely to experience depression, sleep apnea, pain, and incontinence, all of which can disrupt sleep. Menopause can cause hot flashes that wake women up at night, and increase the risk of developing sleep apnea, which causes pauses in breathing and can lead to tiredness and excessive sleepiness during the day.
In addition to biological differences, gender-based differences can also affect sleep. Women are more likely to have their sleep disrupted by caregiving responsibilities and are also more likely to nap during the day, which can make nighttime sleep less restful.
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Women's sleep is more disrupted by hormonal changes
Puberty
During puberty, girls experience a surge of sex hormones, and are at almost three times the risk of developing insomnia compared to boys.
Menstruation
During the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, women experience increased sleep onset and awakenings, and lower sleep efficiency and quality. This is due to changes in hormone levels, specifically a decrease in estrogen and an increase in progesterone.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy is another period of dramatic hormonal changes, with increased levels of estrogen and progesterone. This can lead to sleep disturbances such as snoring, choking, restless leg syndrome, and difficulty falling and staying asleep.
Menopause
Menopause is marked by a decrease in estrogen and an increase in other hormones, which can cause night sweats and hot flashes that disrupt sleep. Older women are also at an increased risk of developing sleep apnea.
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Women are more likely to experience sleep disorders
Biologically, women experience more hormonal changes than men, which can disrupt their sleep. These changes occur during menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, perimenopause, and menopause. For example, menopause can cause women to take longer to fall asleep and spend less time in deep sleep. It can also lead to the development of sleep disorders and chronic health conditions that affect sleep, such as thyroid disease.
Additionally, women are twice as likely as men to suffer from mental health issues like depression and anxiety, which are associated with insomnia. The impact of depression on sleep is significant, with 80% of people with depression experiencing insomnia and 20% suffering from obstructive sleep apnea.
Sociocultural factors, such as gender norms and expectations, also play a role in women's increased likelihood of sleep disorders. Women often bear a disproportionate burden of household and caregiving responsibilities, which can reduce their sleep time. This is especially true for working mothers and women caring for both children and elderly parents.
Furthermore, women's sleep may be more disrupted by a male bed partner, as men tend to move more in their sleep and are more likely to snore.
While the exact reasons are unclear, research consistently shows that women are more prone to sleep disorders and experience poorer sleep quality than men.
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