Update Date: 2010/02/08 [Reporter Su Xiangyun / Comprehensive Foreign Reports]

Women need more sleep than men, according to research by Professor Jim Horne, director of the Sleep Research Center at Loughborough University in the UK. He found that women's brains work harder than men's during the day, requiring about 20 minutes more sleep on average.

The study indicates that women's cerebral cortex, which governs intelligence, language, memory, and consciousness, expends more effort during work. Women's brains tend to process information by first selecting and prioritizing tasks, a more labor-intensive approach compared to men, whose brains typically tackle tasks sequentially before moving on to the next. This makes women's brain operations more complex.

Professor Horne explained in The Times of London that deep sleep—primarily stages three and four of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep—is crucial for allowing the cerebral cortex to rest and restore mental sharpness. As women age, their cerebral cortex retains more functionality, making deep sleep even more essential. This is why many women often complain of not getting enough sleep.

Clinically, the number of women seeking treatment for insomnia is twice that of men. Additionally, a heavier partner can also disrupt women's sleep quality. Among the various factors affecting women's sleep, the most common complaint is loud snoring from their male partners, making it difficult to fall or stay asleep.

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