Sleep deprivation also becomes a greater problem as people grow older. Older adults probably need as much sleep as younger adults, but they typically sleep more lightly. They also sleep for shorter time spans than younger people. Half of all people older than 65 have frequent sleeping problems.
Women Are More Likely to Have Sleep Problems
Hormonal differences and higher rates of mental health issues, like anxiety and depression, may make women and people assigned female at birth more susceptible to sleep problems and sleep disorders throughout their lives.
Teens actually need more sleep than little kids. Experts say teens need over nine hours a night to be healthy. But over a third of teens get only five to six hours a night. The major reasons for sleep deprivation in teens are biology, screen time and unreasonable expectations.
Research has shown that female gender makes you more prone to insomnia. It affects more than 1 in every 4 women in the U.S., but fewer than 1 in 5 men. Studies have also found that women are more often affected by daytime sleepiness. They're also more likely to have memory and concentration problems due to sleep loss.
Consistently with previous studies3, our study indicates that women had poorer sleep quality than men. However, we found no significant difference in the overall prevalence of insomnia between men and women; this appears contradictory to other previous reports22,24.
“Women are also multi-taskers, and they do a lot at once. Because they use more of their actual brain, they may need a little bit more sleep than men. It is still debatable, but some experts say that women need twenty more minutes on average than men usually need.”
And moms get less sleep than dads, a trend that starts right away and lasts until elementary school. Researchers found that in the first three months after a baby is born, mothers sleep on average one hour less than before pregnancy. In those first three months, dads lose out on about 15 minutes.
As millennials deal with the pressures of work, finances, and uncertainty, it's no wonder that they find themselves stressed out. But with all of this stress, it is more important than ever that millennials get the sleep they need.
The body releases the sleep hormone melatonin later at night in teens than in kids and adults. This resets the body's internal sleep clock so that teens fall asleep later at night and wake up later in the morning. Most teens just aren't sleepy enough for bed before 11 p.m.
Consistently with previous studies3, our study indicates that women had poorer sleep quality than men. However, we found no significant difference in the overall prevalence of insomnia between men and women; this appears contradictory to other previous reports22,24.
More women have insomnia than men (61.23% vs. 52.68%, p = 0.003). Women who reported insomnia were on average younger than men those who reported insomnia (38.24 vs. 39.90 years, p = 0.020).
“Women are also multi-taskers, and they do a lot at once. Because they use more of their actual brain, they may need a little bit more sleep than men. It is still debatable, but some experts say that women need twenty more minutes on average than men usually need.”
Bad Habits
Men can develop a number of habits that cause bad sleep. The use of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine can all affect your sleep. You should avoid these substances in the afternoon and at night. Consuming them too close to your bedtime can keep you from sleeping well.
Touching or being around your loved one releases the “love hormone” oxytocin, which promotes sleep and can make you feel drowsy. Being with your partner makes you feel safe and secure, both emotionally and physically. This makes you feel relaxed and makes it easier to fall asleep.
Dr Harrington says rising levels of the sex hormone progesterone that occur in the last two weeks of women's monthly cycle have a soporific effect and that means women require more sleep.
Because men generally have an overall larger body (both height and weight) and greater muscle mass than women, they also have increased caloric needs compared to women.
Men tend to have more muscle than women, and because muscle burns more calories than fat, men tend to have a faster metabolism, too — anywhere between 3 to 10 percent higher than women, studies have shown.
Key Takeaways. Across the world, it's a common assumption that women are more emotional than men. A new study found that women, whether regularly menstruating or taking hormonal birth control, have similar emotional patterns to men.
Overall, there were 590 cases of stress per 100,000 workers for men and 920 cases for women, meaning that women workers are one and a half times more likely than men to be stressed.
You May Feel Unstable in Bed
For those of us that move around a lot in our sleep, have to sleep on a slight incline, or share the bed with a heavier partner, having one leg bent up can act as an anchor to help with weight distribution and stop us from migrating around the bed.
Women who share a bed tend to sleep on the left side for safety and security. They also are more likely to sleep closer to the radiator.
Sleep and Aging
Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as all adults—7 to 9 hours each night. But, older people tend to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier than they did when they were younger. There are many reasons why older people may not get enough sleep at night.