Who Sleeps Better – Women or Men? Tips & Tricks for a Good Night’s Sleep

During the course of the night, we wake up a number of times. Around 28 times, according to researchers. But on the next morning we often don’t realize that we were so restless during our well-deserved “beauty sleep.” If you think your body doesn’t “do” anything while you are asleep, think again: Studies have shown that the human brain uses the same amount of energy when you sleep as when you are awake. Therefore, sleep is definitely not a waste of time and it plays an important role in many physiological processes.

Sleep: the time when your muscles grow

After a long-distance run or an intense bodyweight training session, your body needs rest and recovery. This is just as important as the actual workout itself. The secret of optimal recovery is sleep. Did you know that this is the time when your muscles grow? The reason is that your body releases growth hormones during the deep sleep phase. This is also when the process of cell renewal begins. This process is not only important for our muscles, but for our bones, skin, hair – basically, all the regenerative processes in our body.

Who sleeps better – women or men?

There are numerous studies on the topic of gender and sleep. Interesting here is a study conducted by the Sleep Research Center at Loughborough University: Researcher Jim Horne has found out that women require more sleep than men. To be exact, about 20 minutes per night. Why? Women’s brains work harder during the day than men’s because they tend to do several things at once. According to sleep expert Horne, this multitasking makes women’s brains more complex. Therefore, they require more rest. And this is what the brain gets when your body sleeps.

Women suffer more from sleep disorders

But here is the downside: Although women usually require more sleep than men, they are at the same time more prone to sleep disorders. Besides stress and/or double burdens (like work and family), hormones also play a role in women’s sleep.

The potential effects of sleep loss

If you want to wake up feeling well-rested, you should get between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. Of course, everyone requires a different amount of sleep. But you should keep in mind that a lack of sleep can have negative impacts on your body: If you continually get too little shuteye, you not only run a higher risk of becoming overweight, but you are also more susceptible to diseases. Why? The immune system recovers from the strains of the day during the deep sleep phase. Chronic sleep deprivation can furthermore lead to diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes or cardiovascular disorders. And your mind processes the day’s events during the night. So sleep is very important for our mental health, too.

The right foods help you sleep

Did you know that the right foods can also improve your sleep? The following foods contain the amino acid tryptophan. This boosts the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. If you want to sleep better in the long run, the following foods can help you:

• a handful of cashews and peanuts
• a glass of warm milk and honey
• a cheese sandwich
• a portion of salad with tuna
• meals containing salmon

But be careful: You should never go to bed on a full stomach! Make sure to eat easy-to-digest meals or foods and finish your dinner around three hours before you lie down for the night. Why? Because after you eat your stomach and intestines begin with the digestive process, which means you can forget about any deep, peaceful sleep.

Are you interested in a few more ideas? With these tips sleepless nights will be a thing of the past!