Those who find it difficult to fall asleep may blame it on a number of reasons such as a loud environment, busy schedule or inability to relax. However, could your gender be the underlying reason for the way you sleep? While it is claimed women often desire more sleep, men are almost able to gain the full amount of sleep they want. So what is it that makes our sleeping patterns so different?
Men’s Sleeping HabitsSurveys have suggested that men get around 6 hours 3 minutes sleep on average despite believing they should get 6 hours 40 minutes. However, more men are woken by their partners than women, but this is not necessarily due to snoring. Factors for this may include children, restlessness or other disturbances. In actual fact, men are more likely to suffer from sleep apnoea than women who describe their symptoms of the disorder differently. Sleep apnoea is a condition that interrupts your breathing while you are sleeping which can lead to poor concentration and excessive tiredness. As men tend to fall asleep better than women, they also tend to suffer from less sleep problems such as insomnia.
Women’s Sleeping HabitsIn contrast, women may gain more sleep than men but the quality is less. This is because it tends to be harder for women to fall asleep in the first place and when they do, it is harder to sustain a full night’s rest. Some have suggested that factors such as hormones, stress, anxiety and mood changes may mean it is harder for women to shut their brains off. In addition, pregnancy may be another sleeping disturbance. Interestingly, women may need a greater amount of sleep than men as their multi-tasking habits require more brain power during the day!
Why Is This Important?Women may be able to obtain a better night’s sleep if we understand and acknowledge the effects of hormones, lifestyle habits and environmental factors. For either gender, it is also a vicious circle of poor sleeping habits leading to a lower mood during the day, then not being able to sleep at night. Regardless of gender however, it is true that each person has their own individual sleeping habits which can only be controlled by yourself.
While there have been many studies and research into sleeping habits, there is no definite reason how and why men and women sleep differently. What we do now however, is how a simple change, such as a memory foam pillow, may help to improve anyone’s sleep quality!
