Ladies...Are You A Little Grumpier These Days?

Hopefully the title of today's blog didn't turn you away kicking and screaming.  Maybe it caught your eye because you have noticed that you (or a special lady in your life) have been a bit on edge lately.  Well you are not crazy, it can happen.  A recent study by scientists at Duke University (sorry all of you University of Kentucky fans) shows that women really do need more sleep than their male counterparts.  Are you getting enough sleep?  Sleep is important to all aspects of your life...muscle repair, health, weight loss, mood, nutrition, etc.  Check out some of our other blogs on sleep ("Sleep Hygiene", "Improve Your Sleep Quality", "Are You a Night Owl").  

Researchers stated that women need more sleep than men because they have more of a "multitasking" brain.  We need more time to shut everything down and fall deeper in to REM sleep.  Unfortunately, lack of sleep can be more detrimental to women also.  As well as a higher risk of heart disease, depression and psychological problems, sleep-deprived women have extra clotting factors in their blood, which can lead to a stroke.  They also have higher inflammation markers, which indicate developing health problems and are linked to pain.  So if you are experiencing more pain than usual, it might be due to the lack of quality sleep.  This study also found that men showed no increased risk of developing the ailments that affect women when they are sleep deprived.  According to sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus, "We found that women had more depression, women had more anger, and women had more hostility early in the morning".  

Professor Jim Horne, director of the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, England, also found that women need approximately 20 minute more sleep than men.  Again, due to the female multitasking brain.  The more multitasking women do during the day, the more their brain needs to recover and subsequently the more sleep they need.

So, are you getting enough?  It's time to take a step back and consider your health first.  Remember, a lot of women tend to be the "caretaker" of the family so if something happens to you, who is going to take care of you??  Take small steps to ease up on the amount of tasks you perform in a day.  Start delegating to other family members and friends.  Learn to say "no" once in a while and your health just may improve.  Get the rest you need and allow your body to repair itself and recover from all that you do.

"Sleep is the best meditation".  --Dalai Lama

"The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep".  --W. C. Fields