For most people, sleeping in means getting up around 10 a.m., maybe 11 a.m. if it’s been a really long week. For me, sleeping in means 2 p.m. My strange sleeping abilities absolutely baffle my boyfriend, who can’t sleep in past 10:30 a.m., but science has recently proven that I’m not crazy and that women actually need their beauty rest more than men do.
Duke University examined 210 men and women and found that women suffered greater health issues from lack of sleep than men. If we don’t get the sleep we need, our bodies go into psychological distress, which causes us to experience greater feelings of hostility, depression, and anger. Men, on the other hand, did not experience those feelings with the same degree of sleep disruption.
Science is basically telling us that we’re crazy emotional bitches when we don’t get enough sleep, which I 100 percent agree with, but it’s kind of sucky compared to guys who have the ability to get by on little sleep without breathing fire at anyone who talks or looks at you the wrong way. I thought women got the short end of the stick, once again, but it turns out we need more sleep because our brains work harder during the day than men.
From Your Tango:
“One of the major functions of sleep is to allow the brain to recover and repair itself. During deep sleep, the cortex — the part of the brain responsible for thought memory, language, and so on — disengages from the senses and goes into recovery mode. 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. Women tend to multi-task … and so, they use more of their actual brain than men do. Because of that, their sleep need is greater. During deep sleep, the cortex — the part of the brain responsible for thought memory, language, and so on — disengages from the senses and goes into recovery mode.” says Professor Jim Horne, director of the Sleep Research Center at Loughborough University and author of Sleepfaring: A Journey Through The Science of Sleep.
My, my, my, how the tables have turned. We’re not overly emotional because we’re women, we’re overly emotional because we’re working so hard and doing too many things at once while guys are just lazily coasting through life.
“…women’s brains are wired differently from men’s and are more complex, so their sleep need will be slightly greater. The average is 20 minutes more, but some women may need slightly more or less than this,” said Professor Jim Horne.
So those extra fifteen minutes you sleep in the morning? They actually matter. Keep hitting the snooze button, your sanity and your productivity depends on it. .
[via Your Tango]
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Cristina Montemayor
Cristina is a Grandex Writer and Content Manager. She was an intern for over two years before she graduated a semester early to write about college full time, which makes absolutely no sense. She regretfully considers herself a Carrie, but is first and foremost a Rory. She tends to draw strong reactions from people. They are occasionally positive. You can find her in a bar as you're bending down to tie your shoes, drinking Dos XX and drunk crying to Elton John. Email her: [email protected] (not .com).
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