Women Officially Need More Sleep Than Men—Here’s Why

Women need more sleep than men because we use our brains more.

It’s OK. You can read that again, and then sit back and smile. Ladies, this news from a small study in the UK may change everything—or at least earn you a much-deserved nap.

Professor Jim Horne, director of the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, told the Daily Mail that sleep is essential to allow our brains to recover and repair.

“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,” he said.

Because women use their brains more than men—due to their awesomeness (yes, my choice of word), also known as their ability to multi-task and be flexible—they need more sleep, Horne explained.

The study which looked at the habits of 210 middle-aged men and women showed the women needed about 20 minutes more sleep than the men for their brains to fully recover.

Although we must point out that Horne’s study was a small one, we have to believe the same would hold true if he had studied 20,000 men and women, no?

Maybe. Turns out Duke University also conducted a study with the same conclusion—women need more sleep.

In that study, researchers found women who are under significant stress—mental or physical—need more sleep than men.

Going one step further, they found that sleep-deprived women had higher incidences of depression, anger and hostility too. Men in the same study, on the other hand, showed no increased risk of these side effects when they were sleep deprived.

So, men, do your lady a solid and let her take a nap today. Her complex brain needs it to wake up with a big smile.