Women and Sleep Deprivation

A recent study conducted by Duke University has concluded that sleep loss more negatively affects women than it does men.  While this belief is not new, Duke has finally been able to point to particular symptoms of sleep deprivation that affect women specifically. 

According to news.com.au, sleep deprivation can put women at “a higher risk of heart disease, depression and psychological problems.”  In addition, “sleep-deprived women have extra clotting factors in their blood, which can lead to a stroke” (news.com.au).

But that’s not all, folks.

While, according to the study, sleep deprivation and men’s health did not appear to be closely linked, women were also found to wake up in a greater amount of general pain as a result of getting only a few less hours of sleep than necessary.

The article also explains that sleep deprived women have higher inflammation markers, which “indicate developing health problems” (news.com.au), while men showed none of the same ailments that appeared to be generated in women due to sleep deprivation.

In fact, another study actually claims that when men are sleep deprived they have a higher level of confidence and find that they think women are more attracted to them, similar to if they were slightly intoxicated by alcohol.   So, after a bad night’s sleep, the woman sitting at the bar may be understandably grumpy, but the man next to her only assumes she is interested in him—sounds about right!

The study explains that because women generally multi-task more often throughout the day, they are technically using their brain functions more than the average man, and because sleep is a recovery period for the prior day, the more you use the brain, the more sleep and recovery time it needs for the next day.

To help deplete your risk of developing health issues from sleep deprivation, sleep expert, Dr. Michael Breus suggests that women take short naps later in the day if they cannot get fit a full night of sleep into their busy schedules.  For more information, you can read the article here:  http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health-fitness/duke-university-scientists-find-women-need-more-sleep-than-men/story-fneuz9ev-1226596253113

Keep this in mind next time your spouse, girlfriend, mom, or sister wakes up on the “wrong side of the bed.”  According to this study, she has more than enough reason to be a little cranky.

For more info on the sleep problems of both men and women, read our blog posts, 3 common men’s sleep problems (and 3 simple solutions) and 3 common women’s sleep problems (and 3 common sense solutions).

Oftentimes, sleep deprivation is a direct result of an old mattress.  If you think you may need to upgrade your mattress, be sure to go look through our mattress selection.  If you want my advice, I suggest the TempurPedic collection (that’s what I sleep on and I LOVE it).  If you’re looking for a less substantial financial commitment, you may need to try a new pillow.  Whatever your issue is, at Sleep City we hope to do everything we can to fix the issue and get you waking up on the right side of the bed.

Cheers and sleep well.