Science Asks: Who Is Sleeping Worse, Women Or Men?

JUN 11, 2017 @ 08:34 AM | David DiSalvo , CONTRIBUTOR | Forbes.com

Science just validated the plight of everyone who has either left voluntarily or been kicked out of the bedroom because of snoring. A recent study suggests that women feel more negative effects from sleep disorders, with their partners’ snoring high on the list of reasons why.

The study found that women were more likely than men to experience sleep issues that make them feel tired during the day, and report having more problems with memory and concentration due to insomnia.

Researchers analyzed the sleep patterns of 750 people who sought treatment for sleep disorders over a two-year period. Nearly 50% of the women in the study reported serious concerns from poor sleep compared to 27% of men. Memory problems were among the worst reported by women, with 80% of those in the study saying they suffered from memory deficits during the day due to sleeping poorly, and almost 90% said they had trouble concentrating.

One of the biggest reasons for women not sleeping well? Their partners’ snoring. About 63% of men said their snoring had kept their partners awake, and frequently it forced them to leave the bedroom.

While snoring may at first seem like a trivial relationship issue, it’s not. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that a couples’ sleeping compatibility directly impacts their relationship happiness. Sleep is more central to our lives than most of us realize, and when your partner is the source of your insomnia, the relationship is quite likely going to take a hit.

On the other side of the bed, men tend to suffer more from sleep apnea–a breathing obstruction disorder that often results in snoring–and apnea correlates closely with depression, among several other serious health conditions.

The latest study was published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.