Perhaps since childhood, everyone remembers the saying that sleep is the sweetest thing in the world. Experts emphasize the significance of getting sufficient rest in life. Lack of healthy sleep has highly negative consequences for the human body. However, we often equate the need for sleep for women and men, relying on a familiar formula: healthy sleep is 8 hours. So, is the gender distinction appropriate, and do women need more sleep?
To begin with, it is worth understanding why women’s bodies need more rest. The fact is that the female brain differs from the male brain in the complexity of neural connections. It is this complexity that explains a woman’s ability to multitask. This multitasking leads to fatigue and is the reason for the increased need for healthy sleep. How much more sleep do women need than men? British scientists provide a comprehensive answer to this question. Thus, after conducting many studies, experts at the Sleep Research Center concluded that women should sleep at least 20 minutes longer than men. Why is this so important, and what are the consequences of lack of sleep?
- Hormonal changes. And again, about hormones. Perhaps every woman feels the impact of hormones on her mental and physical health. A woman’s stable hormonal background depends on healthy sleep. Getting good sleep should be a top priority as it has been scientifically proven to be one of the three factors that can cause hormonal disruptions in women, ultimately leading to various diseases.
- High activity during the day. No matter how absurd it may sound, women work much more than men, which is undoubtedly one of the reasons why women need more sleep. After a hard day’s work, women traditionally return home to handle household chores. Thus, the fair sex works 12 hours daily, alternating between official work and household chores. So, do women need more sleep? Yes, remember that more than 95 percent of women are mothers and must take care of their children.
- Overweight. And again, these terrible and unpleasant things for every woman. Yes, lack of sleep leads to overweight. The thing is that lack of sleep is a great stress for the female body, provoking excess cortisol, a hormone that stimulates appetite. And when the fair sex says that they “comfort eat,” they are actually paying for their lack of sleep.
- Emotional instability. It is no secret that women are super emotional. And this is another reason why women need more sleep. The fact is that increased blood flow to the cerebral cortex affects the brain’s parts responsible for emotionality. That’s why women tend to be dramatic and worry even about trifles. Accordingly, do women need more sleep? Yes, when the fairer sex begins to lose sleep, they experience severe stress, so blood flow increases even more. As a result, women are much more likely than men to suffer from mental disorders and are three times more likely to seek help from psychologists and psychotherapists.
- Mental activity. Healthy sleep can be called an IQ ritual for women without exaggeration. For example, German scientists conducted a study involving 154 men and women. For a month, experts observed how sleep affected the subjects’ mental activity to determine: do women need more sleep than men? The results amazed the scientists because the level of mental activity and the ability to absorb new information in women decreased significantly due to lack of sleep. At the same time, in men, it remained without significant changes.
- Appearance. This reason should top the benefits of healthy sleep and take the honorable first place. After all, all women, without exception, want to have a beautiful appearance. Lack of sleep and stress, which always go hand in hand, significantly accelerate the aging process of the female body. It starts with a decrease in collagen levels responsible for skin elasticity. Dull skin, dark circles under the eyes, and the appearance of wrinkles are unpleasant consequences of lack of sleep. On the contrary, healthy sleep restores youth and beauty to the fair sex.
We have listed the main reasons for the ongoing controversy: “Do women need more sleep than men?.” So, how much more sleep do women need than men? Whether the 20 minutes that scientists say can help with lack of sleep? In fact, such figures are very conditional. If a woman is in the active phase of sleep, half an hour will benefit her. Otherwise, the fairer sex must sleep 8 to 10 hours daily to recover fully, while men need 8 hours. So, what will every woman caring for a good night’s sleep get?
First, a beautiful appearance. Secondly, excellent health, energy, and vigor. Thirdly, emotional stability and good mood. Finally, at least sleeping is very, very pleasant. Therefore, every woman needs to learn to care for herself because when she loves herself, the universe fulfills all her desires!