29-02-2012
Men are from Mars and women are from Venus, right? Well, even if the sexes are not quite that far apart, and are definitely both located on the same planet in the solar system, there can be no denying that there are a number of important differences between men and women. One that many people are unaware of is that men and women sleep differently. This might seem unusual at first as many people have different sleep patterns, something that seems to be far more individual than gender based, but there are in fact commonalities found within genders and differences found across genders.
One of the major differences is in the circadian rhythms of men and women. Circadian rhythms are popularly referred to as the body clock and are the roughly 24 hour long cycle of biochemical, physiological and behavioural processes. Women’s circadian clocks are set about an hour earlier than men’s, meaning they are inclined to fall asleep earlier than men. Their cycle is also on average six minutes shorter as well, which adds up over time.
Another interesting difference is that women were found to be able to cope better with less sleep though they were also more vulnerable to the range of sleep disorders.
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On the land and waters that we sleep, we walk, and we live, we acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of these lands. We pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their connection to the land.