Women wake up grumpier than men
By: CBS NEWS
Updated: March 10, 2013
(CBS News) According to a Duke University survey, women wake up far more grumpier than their male counterparts. In fact, females need far more sleep than men and suffer more mentally and physically if forced to go without it, research suggests.
It appears lack of sleep can also put them at higher risk of heart disease, depression and psychological problems and in contrast, men's health appears to be far less dependent on how well they sleep. In fact, men with sleeping problems showed no increased risk of the conditions that were affecting the women.
Lack of sleep may make genes less active
"In this particular study, women had more depression, anger, and hostility early in the mornings when they weren't getting the same amount of sleep than they normally get," said Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist, sleep expert and author of "The Sleep Doctor's Diet Plan." "When they have problems falling asleep, staying asleep, that seems to have a dramatic effect."
Lack of sleep seems to affect women more than men for a few reasons. One hypothesis is that we know that men and women are so different hormonally that women may require more time asleep to regulate and keep their hormones in balance.
Lack of sleep linked to obesity, disease
"Not only are you emotionally affected but you're also physiologically affected," said Breus. "What we found is women who didn't get enough sleep had an increase in a clotting factor which leads to stroke. We also note that there are certain inflammation markers that are higher in women. Inflammation leads to pain, so women could be in more pain than men."
