Women DO sleep worse than men as study finds their body runs ‘six minutes ahead’

WOMEN really do sleep worse than men, with research showing they're almost 60 per cent more likely to experience insomnia.

They also rated their sleep quality lower than men did, a review of studies published in the last decade found.

The all-female team of researchers from Harvard, Stanford and Southampton University reckoned women's worse sleep quality was because their internal body clock runs about six minutes quicker than men's.

Over time, this means they're "noticeably" out of sync with their environment, wreaking havoc on their internal processes that tell their brain when they should feel sleepy. 

“While this [six minute] difference may be small, it is significant," Dr Renske Lok from Stanford University, who led the review, said.

"The misalignment between the central body clock and the sleep/wake cycle is approximately five times larger in women than in men.

"Imagine if someone's watch was consistently running six minutes faster or slower," Dr Lok explained.

"Over the course of days, weeks, and months, this difference can lead to a noticeable misalignment between the internal clock and external cues, such as light and darkness."

Published in , the paper suggests a person’s biological sex should be considered when treating sleep, circadian rhythm and metabolic disorders.

The 'sleep gap'

The multi-university team of experts examined academic papers published in the last decade that looked into the so-called ";sleep gap" between the sexes.

Many of the studies asked participants to wear actigraphs - wrist-worn devices similar to Apple watches or Fitbits - which monitor heart rate and sleeping patterns.

Across studies, women gave lower ratings to their sleep quality than men.

They also reported more fluctuations in their quality of sleep, often corresponding to changes in their menstrual cycle.

Recent polls actually found that 53 per cent of women get anxious at night-time when on their period, with many waking up during the night due to leaks or discomfort.

 Dr Sarah Chellappa from the University of Southampton and senior author of the paper, said: "Lower sleep quality is associated with anxiety and depressive disorders, which are twice as common in women as in men.

“Women are also more likely than men to be diagnosed with insomnia, although the reasons are not entirely clear.

"Recognising and comprehending sex differences in sleep and circadian rhythms is essential for tailoring approaches and treatment strategies for sleep disorders and associated mental health conditions.”

Authors also found that women had a 25 to 50 per cent higher likelihood of developing , restless leg syndrome (RLS) - a condition affecting the nervous system that causes a crawling sensation in your legs and the overwhelming urge to fidget them at night.