Study shows women need more sleep than men because their brains work harder

Updated
How Getting An Hour More Of Sleep Improves Your Well-Being
How Getting An Hour More Of Sleep Improves Your Well-Being

For all the ladies out there who love hitting that 'snooze' button, we've got some great news for you.

A scientific study has proven that women legitimately need more sleep than men.

Professor Jim Horne, director of Loughborough University's Sleep Research Centre, explains that "for women, poor sleep is strongly associated with high levels of psychological distress and greater feelings of hostility, depression, and anger."

In contrast, "these feelings were not associated with the same degree of sleep disruption in men."

But what makes women's brains more susceptible to the negative effects of a bad night's slumber than men?

According to Professor Horne, it's because women's brains are more complex.

Psh, tell us something we didn't know.

%shareLinks-quote="Women's brains are wired differently from men's and are more complex, so their sleep need will be slightly greater." type="quote" author="Professor Jim Horne" authordesc="Director of Loughborough University's Sleep Research Centre" isquoteoftheday="false"%

"The more of your brain you use during the day, the more of it that needs to recover and, consequently, the more sleep you need," Professor Horne went on, to millions of nods of approval from women all over the globe.

He did, however, note one exception. According to Professor Horne, "a man who has a complex job that involves a lot of decision making and lateral thinking may also need more sleep than the average male ... though probably still not as much as a woman."​

Bottom line: Stop trying to be a Leslie Knope ...


... and embrace the inner Liz Lemon you've been fighting all along.



More bedtime stories:
Sleep myths you should really stop believing
Reading from a tablet before bed may affect sleep quality
The incredible health benefits of sleeping on your left side

Advertisement