Yes, researchers from the Duke University Medical Center are here to state that lack of sleep proves to be a more serious issue for women than men. Researchers studied 3 criteria for arriving on the way people react to lack of sleep. The criteria were – the total amount of sleep, the degree of waking hours during sleep and the amount of time required to get sleep.
The Duke team revealed that sleeplessness in women led to an increased risk of cardiovascular problems. In addition, women were more vulnerable to psychological stress and heart diseases as compared to men.
Common Problems Related to Less Sleep
Some common problems related to less sleep were revealed as below:
- Falling asleep while driving
- Attention problem
- Difficulty in remembering things
- Increased irritability
J. Catesby Ware, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, is of the opinion that several nights of just 4 hours of sleep can lead to endocrine changes which would suggest a pre-diabetic state.
About 210 men and women were studies upon to establish the sex differences in sleep. Researchers took blood samples of the volunteers to determine the glucose and insulin levels. About 40% of the individuals were reported to be “poor sleepers” who faced two common problems:
- Difficulty getting sleep
- Waking up during sleep
Ed Suarez, who led the team, said that women were twice as more vulnerable to sleeping problems than men. Also, about one-third of the women who were reported to be poor sleepers had protein levels that were enough to cause heart ailments.
Researchers maintain that earlier studies mainly focused on studying the sleeping patterns in men but not in women. This study has paved the way to understand that sleep is more important for women than men in order to prevent mental strain and health complications in the near future.
A minimum of 7 hours of sleep is considered absolutely essential for an adult above the age of 18 years. However, the amount of sleep can vary from person to person as per the needs of an individual and the situation.
