Lack of sleep more dangerous for women than men

A Swedish study shows that women are more severely affected by lack of sleep and run a greater risk of dying prematurely from it than men.
– The difference is quite large between those who sleep five hours compared to those who sleep six hours, says Tina Sundelin, sleep researcher at SU in Efter fem.

A database used by researchers at the Karolinska Institute shows the consequences of lack of sleep for men and women.
If a man sleeps less than five hours per night, the risk of dying prematurely increases by five percent compared to if the man instead sleeps six hours per night.
The corresponding figure for a woman is 54 percent.
– The difference is quite large between those who sleep five hours compared to those who sleep six hours. But if you look at other risk factors such as smoking and diet and such, the risks are significantly greater, says Tina Sundelin, sleep researcher at SU in Efter fem.

May be due to sensitivity

The basis is based on the sleeping habits of 34,000 people over 20 years. The fact that the difference between men and women is so great can be due to sensitivity, among other things.
– There is research that indicates that women need more sleep than men. So it could be that women are more sensitive to this extreme lack of sleep that these less than five hours are, says Tina Sundelin.
However, she points out that more data may be needed, as there are other studies that show different numbers. And in this study, the number who slept less than five hours was not even 1,000 of the 34,000 people.