💤 5 Reasons Why Women Need More Sleep Than Men
Ever wondered why women seem to need more sleep than men? You’re not alone. While everyone needs rest to stay healthy, science shows that women often need a bit more shut-eye—and there are some surprising reasons behind it. In this blog post, we’ll explore five key reasons why women tend to need more sleep and what makes their sleep needs a little different.
🛌 1. Women Struggle More with Sleep Problems
One big reason women need more sleep is that they often have more trouble sleeping. Studies show women are twice as likely to have insomnia (which means trouble falling or staying asleep) compared to men. This happens for a few reasons.
Hormones play a big part (we’ll talk more about that next), but other things matter too. For example, during pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause, women are more likely to get sleep apnea—a condition where breathing stops for short periods during sleep. This can make sleep feel broken and leave you tired in the morning.
Also, women are twice as likely to have restless legs syndrome (RLS), which causes a strong need to move your legs while trying to rest. This can keep you from falling asleep peacefully.
And even today, women are still more likely to be the ones getting up during the night to take care of babies or children. These wake-ups add up, leading to more sleep being lost overall. All of this means women simply don’t get the same rest, and their bodies need more time to recover.
🔄 2. Hormones Change Everything
Another big reason women need more sleep is because of hormones. Hormones are chemicals in the body that help control things like mood, energy, and sleep. When girls hit puberty, their hormone levels start changing a lot—and those changes continue throughout life.
During each menstrual cycle, hormone levels go up and down. In the second half of the cycle (called the luteal phase), the hormone progesterone drops, and that can make it harder to sleep. This happens every single month!
When women go through pregnancy, their hormone levels shift again. The same thing happens during perimenopause and menopause, which often causes hot flashes, mood swings, and more sleep struggles.
These hormone changes also affect mood, making women more likely to feel anxious or depressed—two things that can make falling asleep even harder. On top of that, hormones affect how the body uses energy, so a woman’s body might need more food and more sleep at certain times of the month. All these shifts mean women need extra rest to keep up with what their bodies are going through.
📅 3. Women Often Have Busier Lives
In general, women are busier than men. A study from 2019 found that women are more likely to feel stressed, tired, and burned out. Why? Because they usually have to balance more things in their daily lives.
Even though things are getting better when it comes to gender roles, many women still take care of the home, the kids, and do a lot of work that doesn’t get paid—like cooking, cleaning, and handling family needs. This kind of work is called unpaid labor. They also often carry the emotional load of caring for others and making sure everyone is okay.
This means women are juggling more jobs at once—working outside the home, caring for their families, and keeping track of everything. No wonder they’re so tired! With all that going on, women’s bodies and minds need more time to rest and recover, which is another reason sleep is so important.
⚖️ 4. Sleep Helps Women Stay at a Healthy Weight
Women’s bodies store more fat than men’s—this is totally normal and natural. It’s something that’s seen across many species, not just humans. The reason? Hormones, body structure, and how energy is burned all work differently in women.
When women exercise, their bodies burn fat during the workout but then switch to burning carbs after. Men, on the other hand, keep burning fat for longer. This makes it harder for women to lose weight compared to men.
This is where sleep comes in. Good sleep helps balance hormones that control hunger—like ghrelin (which makes you feel hungry) and leptin (which helps you feel full). When you sleep enough, you’re less likely to overeat, and you’ll also have more energy to move around and exercise.
Because it’s already more challenging for women to lose weight, sleep becomes a super important tool for helping them stay healthy and feel good.
❤️ 5. Poor Sleep Affects Women’s Health More
When men and women both get poor sleep, women tend to suffer more. Research shows that bad sleep affects women’s hearts, blood sugar levels, and mental health more strongly.
For example, if a man and a woman both sleep poorly, the woman is more likely to develop heart problems or type 2 diabetes. On top of that, women report feeling more stress, sadness, anger, and emotional distress after a bad night’s sleep than men do.
This means sleep isn’t just about feeling rested—it’s about staying physically and emotionally healthy. When women don’t sleep well, their health can suffer in big ways. That’s why getting enough high-quality sleep is so important for women at every age.
🌙 Final Thoughts: Sleep Is Not a Luxury—It’s a Need
Everyone needs sleep to feel their best, but women may need a little more—and that’s okay. Between hormones, busy schedules, and health differences, women’s bodies work hard every day and need extra rest to recover and stay strong.
The hard part is that women often have more trouble sleeping, even though they need it more. But don’t worry—there are simple ways to improve sleep. Try using a calm bedtime routine, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, or adding gentle sleep aids like melatonin or soothing sounds.
If you’re a woman and sleep has been a struggle, you’re definitely not alone—and there are things you can do to get better rest. Your health, your mood, and your energy all depend on it. 💖