Maria Katrina Paras

Article (news)

Do Women Need More Sleep Than Men

<p>We all need our beauty sleep. Cueing the cliché, it’s a phrase that’s rolled off countless women’s tongues, and sometimes, only to be brushed off as being a little extra. But in a twist of irony, research hints that women might actually be onto something. In fact, they do sleep longer than men. Not hours longer, just a handful of minutes…but enough to make you wonder! </p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1755691073995Banner Sleep Women.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>For decades, the baseline rule for adult sleep has hovered around a solid seven to nine hours a night. But study after study shows that women are the ones hitting the snooze button more often. And before anyone calls it laziness, science has a few explanations. On average, it’s only about an 11-minute gap, yet the reasons behind that small break tell a much bigger story about hormones, mental health, life stages, and the invisible work women do.</p><p>Read on to know the reasons why women may clock more pillow time!</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Hormones as the sleep cycle’s silent wreckers</strong></div><p>This is never about women being “weaker” sleepers; rather, it’s something to do with biology, hormones, and the reality that women’s bodies undergo more cyclical changes throughout life. Shifts in hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and the sleep-regulating melatonin throughout the menstrual cycle, during pregnancy, and into menopause can dramatically influence the stages and depth of rest. </p><p>From puberty to menopause, hormonal swings can throw the body’s circadian rhythm (our internal clock) out of sync. Menstrual cycles can trigger changes in sleep quality, especially in the days leading up to a period, when hormone fluctuations can increase restlessness and night waking. </p><div></div><div><br/></div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1755691188656Sleep 2.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><div></div><div><br/></div><p>Pregnancy puts its own layer of complexity, from physical discomfort to frequent bathroom breaks to anxiety about impending parenthood. By the third trimester, nearly 40% of pregnant people experience insomnia, and for many, those disrupted sleep patterns continue into the newborn phase.</p><p>With a different level of nighttime drama, menopause often ushers in hot flashes, night sweats, and a higher likelihood of disorders like obstructive sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome—all of which can keep sleep frustratingly light and choppy.</p><p>While these hormonal fluctuations determine when you fall asleep, they also dictate how deeply you sleep and how often you wake up. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>When mental health and sleep feed each other</strong></div><p>Intertwined in a tangled feedback loop are sleep and mental health. Poor sleep can trigger two well-known conditions that are notorious sleep thieves. Statistically speaking, women are twice as likely to experience both anxiety and depression. </p><p>In people with depression, a staggering 80% battle insomnia, while 15% deal with hypersomnia or oversleeping. Anxiety can cause restless tossing and turning, frequent awakenings, and racing thoughts that stretch bedtime into the early morning hours.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1755691312875Sleep 3.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>This means even if women hit their target bedtime, the quality of that sleep can be riddled with interruptions. Interestingly, when women do miss sleep, their bodies tend to prioritize deep sleep during “catch-up” nights more than men’s bodies do—a sign they are more sensitive to sleep loss. </p><p>Women are also more prone to health risks from poor sleep, including mood disorders and heart problems. The challenge is that it’s often hard to determine which came first between the mood disorder or the sleep disruption. However, the overlap of these conditions implies that many women are not only fighting for more sleep but for restorative sleep. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>The invisible labor problem</strong></div><p>As some scientists point to biological rhythms, women’s internal clocks tend to run slightly earlier, so modern schedules that push bedtimes later can leave them chronically misaligned. </p><p>The sleep gap between men and women can be simply attributed to the demands of life. Mothers after having a baby, for example, lose an average of 42 minutes more sleep per night than new fathers, primarily due to nighttime feedings and a baby’s erratic sleep patterns. This can last for months, worse, even years. </p><p>Beyond early motherhood, women still often shoulder a larger or disproportionate share of unpaid labor—from household chores to caregiving for children or elderly relatives—which eat into sleep quality since it calls for later sleeptimes, earlier wakeups, and more frequent middle-of-the-night halt to sleep. </p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1755691473314Multi Tasking.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Even among women without children, studies show they are more likely to sacrifice sleep for domestic duties or work tasks that do not exactly help the brain’s rest-and-repair processes. Over time, these little cuts into the sleep budget can add up to chronic sleep debt—an invisible tax on health, mood, and productivity. It’s no wonder women might need more time to feel fully recharged. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Quality matters as much as quantity</strong></div><p>Ever heard of the paradox of “better” sleep? Here’s a curveball: when researchers hook people up to sleep monitors, women often appear to have slightly better sleep quality than men—more deep sleep, longer total sleep time. Yet women are also more likely to report feeling unrested. This mismatch may come down to a few factors such as biological clock mismatch, subtle disturbances like light snoring, micro-awakenings, or hormonal effects. </p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1755691577755Sleep 4.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Another catch before you start setting your alarm for noon: Sleeping too much can be a red flag. Regularly clocking over nine hours a night has been linked to higher risks of obesity, cardiovascular problems, and even depression. The sweet spot for most adults, regardless of sex, remains seven to nine hours, ideally in one uninterrupted stretch.</p><p>Truth be told, life gets in the way, may it be a crying baby, late-night scrolling, or work deadlines. Even among those averaging the “perfect” sleep window, only 15% manage to hit it on five or more nights a week. So, the real goal is to find balance. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>So…do women really need more sleep than men?</strong></div><p>Yes, but not just more sleep, but better sleep! Women sleep slightly longer than men, but those extra minutes often serve as recovery from more frequent disruptions, hormonal shifts, and higher rates of sleep disorders. </p><p>Rather than a built-in biological rule that all women require more rest, it’s more accurate to say women’s sleep is often more vulnerable to being cut short or fragmented, which can leave them needing to “catch up.”</p><p>Women, if getting those precious extra minutes feels impossible, it’s not! The good news is that there are some science-backed ways to tip the balance back in your favor. If you’re naturally sleepy earlier in the evening, try shifting your bedtime to match. Fighting your circadian rhythm only makes rest harder. </p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1755691688717Sleep 5.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>You may build a wind-down routine like putting on your breathable jammies or reading a book, cut back on stimulants by limiting caffeine and alcohol, especially in the afternoon and evening, as they can disrupt deep sleep stages, or keep a notepad by your bed to jot down worries or to-dos so they don’t circle in your head at 2 am. </p><p>Lastly, do not ignore persistent problems, ladies! If you suspect sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, or chronic insomnia, get evaluated—especially if fatigue is affecting your daily life. Many sleep disorders in women are underdiagnosed simply because symptoms can be subtle.</p><p>Sleep should be treated as a non-negotiable pillar of health, right alongside nutrition and exercise. While regular exercise improves sleep quality, remember to save high-intensity workouts for earlier in the day. </p>

<p>For decades, the baseline rule for adult sleep has hovered around a solid seven to nine hours a night. But study after study shows that women are the ones hitting the snooze button more often.</p>

For decades, the baseline rule for adult sleep has hovered around a solid seven to nine hours a night. But study after study shows that women are the ones hitting the snooze button more often.

Do Women Really Need More Sleep Than Men? We Break It Down For You

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Do Women Really Need More Sleep Than Men? We Break It Down For You

Leigh Sofia Lazo

Published Aug 20, 2025 08:00 PM PHT

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Updated Aug 20, 2025 08:09 PM PHT

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