You sleep a full eight hours, but still wake up tired. Meanwhile, your partner runs on six and feels fine. What gives?

It might seem like a weird question, but asking do women need more sleep than men could actually explain a lot. And the science says: yes. On average, women may need 20 to 30 more minutes of sleep each night, not because they’re weaker or more tired, but because of how their brains and bodies work.

Sleep fuels everything from mood and memory to hormones and heart health. But most recommendations overlook gender differences in sleep, and that leaves a lot of women wondering why rest doesn’t always feel… restful.

Here’s what’s really going on and why understanding how sleep needs differ between men and women might be the missing piece to feeling better.

What Science Says About Sleep Needs

Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep, and that’s not just based on age or daily activity. Sleep needs are shaped by a mix of factors, including genetics, brain structure, hormone levels, and lifestyle demands.

Brain Activity and Sleep Pressure

At the center of it all is the brain. During waking hours, we accumulate something called sleep pressure, a biological signal that builds up the longer we stay awake. This pressure is largely driven by brain activity. The more cognitively demanding (e.g., multitasking, decision-making, problem-solving) your day, the more recovery your brain needs at night. That’s why someone working a mentally intense job may require more sleep than someone with a less demanding routine.

Hormonal Influence on Sleep

Hormones help regulate your internal sleep-wake cycle, but they also impact how deeply and consistently you sleep.

Melatonin acts like your body’s internal clock, rising in the evening to help you feel sleepy.
Cortisol does the opposite; it rises in the morning to help you wake up and feel alert.

But the sex hormones, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, play a deeper role:

Estrogen helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. When it drops (like before a period or during menopause), sleep can become more fragmented.
Progesterone has a calming effect, often called the body’s natural sleep aid. Low levels can lead to more tossing and turning.
Testosterone, while less studied in this context, supports sleep quality in both men and women.

When these hormone levels shift, which they often do throughout a woman’s life, they can make sleep feel lighter, shorter, or harder to come by.

Lifestyle and Environmental Factors

Outside of biology, your environment and daily habits play a big role in shaping your sleep needs; Lifestyle can’t be overlooked either. Physical stress, emotional load, caregiving responsibilities, and even dietary choices can shift your natural sleep needs over time. Sleep isn’t static; it responds to what your body and mind are carrying.

High levels of emotional stress or caregiving responsibilities can increase fatigue
Physical activity, work demands, screen time, and nutrition all impact sleep efficiency
Sleep patterns can also change during major life transitions (e.g., pregnancy, parenting, aging)

Why Women May Need More Sleep Than Men

We now understand that sleep needs are shaped by brain activity, hormones, and lifestyle. Here’s how these factors combine to create a unique sleep profile for women:

Cognitive Load

It’s not just a stereotype; studies show women’s brains are wired to process more throughout the day. That’s because of how they manage tasks, regulate emotions, and connect different parts of the brain.

1. More Task Switching and Mental Load

Women are often balancing multiple responsibilities at once, whether it’s work, home, caregiving, or planning. Research suggests they’re generally more efficient at switching between tasks than men, which activates more areas of the brain in a given day.

2. Greater Brain Connectivity

Brain scans have shown that women tend to have stronger connections between the left and right sides of the brain. This cross-talk helps them integrate logic, emotion, memory, and intuition more seamlessly—but it also means the brain is constantly “on,” requiring more downtime to recover at night.

3. Increased Emotional and Social Processing

Women’s brains are more active in regions linked to emotional regulation, empathy, and stress response. This makes them more attuned to the needs of others, but also more susceptible to anxiety and interrupted sleep, especially under pressure3.

In short, the way women’s brains are structured and used throughout the day leads to more mental activity, and that increased workload means more time is needed in deep, restorative sleep to fully recharge.

Hormonal Fluctuations

Unlike men, who generally experience steady hormone levels, women’s hormones fluctuate throughout life, and those shifts directly impact sleep. And these hormonal shifts happen frequently across different life stages.

Menstrual Cycle

During the menstrual cycle, estrogen and progesterone levels rise and fall. In the days leading up to a period, both hormones drop. That drop is linked to:

Increased sleep latency (it takes longer to fall asleep)
More frequent night wakings
Lower sleep efficiency, meaning time in bed isn’t always restorative

This can explain why sleep feels disrupted, even when your schedule doesn’t change.

Pregnancy

By the third trimester, nearly 8 out of 10 women experience disrupted sleep. Hormonal changes, combined with physical discomfort, heartburn, and frequent trips to the bathroom, make restful nights harder to come by.

Menopause & Perimenopause

As estrogen declines, sleep can become even more unpredictable. Common symptoms include:

Night sweats and hot flashes that wake you up suddenly
Mood changes that make it harder to relax before bed
An increased risk of insomnia, with up to 61% of postmenopausal women reporting persistent sleep difficulties.

These hormonal changes aren’t just frustrating; they physically alter your sleep cycle. That’s why what worked for your rest at age 25 may not work at 45 or 55.

Understanding these shifts helps explain why women may need more sleep than men, and why sleep can feel more elusive at certain times of life.

Lifestyle and Caregiving Load

Women are more likely to shoulder caregiving duties, at home or work, which introduces:

Mental overload from juggling tasks
Irregular bedtimes
Less opportunity for evening downtime

This could explain why 55% of mothers (age 25–44) report less than 7 hours of sleep nightly, compared to just 38% of fathers.

Sleep Disorders Are Often Missed in Women

Conditions like insomnia, restless legs, and even sleep apnea are frequently overlooked in women. They often present more subtly, chronic fatigue or mood changes, that don’t fit the “typical” symptoms, leading to underdiagnosis and untreated sleep issues

Tips to Improve Sleep (Especially for Women)

Getting better sleep starts with understanding your body and giving it what it needs. These strategies go beyond basic sleep hygiene to address the real-life hormonal, emotional, and cognitive challenges many women face at night.

Keep Your Sleep Schedule Hormone-Aware
Tracking your menstrual cycle can help you understand when sleep might be more difficult. Research shows that sleep quality often dips in the late luteal phase (the week before your period). Consider shifting your bedtime slightly earlier during that time, and limit high-stress tasks before bed.
Light Exposure—Morning and Evening
Getting natural light in the morning (within 30–60 minutes of waking) helps regulate melatonin and cortisol production, setting you up for better sleep at night. In the evening, reduce exposure to blue light from phones or computers, which can delay melatonin release.
Balance Your Blood Sugar
Blood sugar dips during the night can cause awakenings, especially for women in perimenopause. Try pairing a small, protein-rich snack (like Greek yogurt or a handful of nuts) with complex carbs an hour before bed. This can stabilize blood sugar and improve sleep continuity.
Rethink “Mental Clutter”
Women often report difficulty falling asleep because they can’t turn their brains off. A short brain-dump journal session (jotting down your thoughts or to-do list) before bed has been shown to reduce anxiety and improve sleep onset time.
Practice Cyclical Rest
Women in high-demand phases of life (pregnancy, caregiving, menopause) may not be able to get a full 8 hours straight. Short, intentional rest periods, like 10- to 20-minute midday naps or yoga nidra sessions, can help supplement nighttime sleep and lower stress hormones without disrupting your sleep drive.
Track Sleep Symptoms, Not Just Hours
It’s not just about time in bed, it’s about how refreshed you feel. Use a journal or sleep-tracking app to notice patterns in fatigue, mood, cycle timing, and waking frequency. This information is incredibly helpful if you decide to speak with your doctor or a sleep specialist.

Your sleep needs may change across different stages of life. What worked in your 20s might not work in your 40s. Tracking what your body is telling you, honoring those changes, and adjusting your habits is one of the most effective ways to reclaim your rest.The truth is, better sleep isn’t always about doing more; it’s about doing what works for you. And if you’ve tried everything and still feel exhausted, the next step may be getting the right kind of help.

When to See a Sleep Specialist

If you’ve done all the “right things” – set a bedtime, limited caffeine, created a calm nighttime routine, but still feel drained, it might be more than everyday stress. Sometimes, sleep struggles aren’t just behavioral… they’re clinical.

Here are some signs it’s time to talk to your doctor about a referral to a sleep specialist:

You regularly get 7–8 hours of sleep, but still feel exhausted
You have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep for several weeks or more
Your sleep feels light or disrupted, even in a quiet environment
You snore, gasp, or wake up with a dry mouth or headache
You’ve been told you move, kick, or talk in your sleep
You feel moody, foggy, or overwhelmed without a clear reason
Your energy dips significantly around your menstrual cycle or during perimenopause/menopause

These symptoms could signal a sleep disorder like insomnia, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, or hormonal sleep disruption. The good news? These conditions are treatable, and a proper diagnosis is the first step.

Need help sleeping better?
Sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s a foundation for everything else. If your nights are falling short, there’s no shame in asking for help. Whether you’re navigating cycle changes, burnout, or just tired of being tired, understanding your body is the first step toward better sleep and better health.

If you’re consistently struggling with sleep, talk to your doctor about a referral to Clayton Sleep Institute. Our team specializes in identifying and treating a wide range of sleep disorders through both in-home and in-clinic studies in a setting that feels calm, private, and supportive.

References

Adelaide Now. (2016). Science shows women need more sleep as they process information 5 times faster than men. Retrieved June 20, 2025, from https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifestyle/science-shows-women-need-more-sleep-as-they-process-information-5-times-faster-than-men/news-story/2ec5a1d0fecf0bece14496a0d19563ee
Baptist Health. (2023). Do women need more sleep than men? Retrieved June 20, 2025, from https://www.baptisthealth.com/blog/sleep-care/do-women-need-more-sleep-than-men
ResMed. (2024). Fact or fiction: Do women need more sleep than men? Retrieved June 20, 2025, from https://www.resmed.com/en-us/sleep-health/blog/fact-or-fiction-do-women-need-more-sleep-than-men/
Sleep Foundation. (2023). Do women need more sleep than men? Retrieved June 20, 2025, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/women-sleep/do-women-need-more-sleep-than-men
Sleep Foundation. (2025). Do women need more sleep than men? Retrieved June 20, 2025, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/women-sleep/do-women-need-more-sleep-than-men