While seven to nine hours of sleep is the recommended goal for most adults, women may need even more rest than men.
Research suggests women may require more sleep than men in various life stages, according to Kin M. Yuen, MD, MS, a sleep medicine specialist at UCSF Health and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
“When we look at female infants compared to male infants they do spend a little bit more time being asleep,” Yuen told Verywell.
Yuen noted that while teenagers often get poorer sleep, the pattern of women needing more sleep often continues into adulthood. The average female adult gets 7.5-8 hours of sleep a night, while the average male adult sleeps for 7-7.5 hours.
However, it’s unclear whether women need more sleep or if men are simply not getting enough sleep. Existing data on this topic is somewhat murky.
“Studies that do show that women tend to sleep slightly more than men are mostly based off surveys or self-reported sleep diaries, which lack objectivity,” Yonatan Greenstein, MD, FCCP, an associate professor of medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, told Verywell.
Hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause may reduce sleep quality for women, according to Michelle Drerup, PsyD, director of behavioral sleep medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center.
Pregnancy is associated with hormonal fluctuations across the three trimesters, which can lead to fatigue, drowsiness, and the frequent need to urinate at night, Drerup added.
Perimenopause and menopause also lead to major hormone fluctuations that often cause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, both of which can disrupt sleep.
Greenstein said post-menopausal women are also more likely to be diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, which results in poor quality and fragmented sleep.
“The scientific theory behind this is that estrogen and progesterone are protective, and as they decrease throughout menopause, a woman’s upper airway becomes more collapsible, leading to the development of obstructive sleep apnea,” Greenstein added.
Although many women may need more sleep than men, this isn’t true for everyone, said Pelin Batur, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Cleveland Clinic. “There is, of course, a lot of variability between individuals,” she added.
It’s important to understand your own sleep patterns and how you feel upon waking. If you practice good sleep hygiene and get seven to nine hours of sleep but still feel groggy or experience daytime sleepiness, it may be time to consult a sleep specialist.
What This Means For You
If you’re a woman experiencing disrupted sleep or daytime sleepiness, it could be due to life stage-related hormonal changes. Prioritize sleep hygiene, and if you’re still feeling tired despite getting enough rest, consider speaking with a healthcare provider to explore potential sleep issues.
