Sorry, But Your Wife Actually Does Need More Sleep Than You

A study from your wife’s new favorite neuroscientist, Jim Horne, found that women need 20 minutes more sleep than men. If you don’t strongly object already, wait for it, because the reason is that their brains work harder and need more time to recover. Horne is known by some as the former director of the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, but now known by most as a traitor among men.

When people sleep their brains go into repair mode, and much like the aftermath of a bachelor party, the amount of recovery needed for everyone is different. Women, who Horne says have a tendency to multitask (or “do everything” as they refer to it), “do lots at once and are flexible — and so they use more of their actual brain than men do. Because of that, their sleep need is greater.” Not only did women disproportionately suffer from poor sleep (18 percent compared to 8 percent of men), the effects of such sleeplessness led to increased anger, hostility and depression in only women, not men. In other words, that’s what her problem is.

Before you get your pajama pants in a bundle, the data is of a relatively small sample — 210 men and women to be exact. It does not necessarily mean that men need less sleep or that all men are the same. Horne notes that men with complex jobs that require lateral thinking and decision making need more sleep as well, and if there’s any job that calls for both it’s being a dad. That said, on the mornings where you’re both hiding under the pillows while Junior tugs on the top sheet asking “cereal?”, the answer is “Don’t worry, honey, I’ve got it,” because science. Damn you science!

H/T The Independent