A doctor has claimed women need significantly more sleep than men, a fact that may surprise many.
While rest and a good night’s sleep are important for everyone, one medical professional insists women require “dramatically” more sleep due to hormonal differences and the function of the adrenal glands.
These glands produce hormones such as adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol, and aldosterone, which regulate blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar levels, metabolism, and stress responses. They also help maintain water and salt balance in the body, and contribute to the development of sex characteristics.
Dr Patrick Flynn, a chiropractor and founder and CEO of The Wellness Way, regularly shares health insights on social media. In one Instagram video that has sparked much discussion, he explains how women’s energy levels can be affected by insufficient sleep.
He stated: “[Women] need dramatically more sleep than men. I can always say this, a man can get away with seven, eight hours, sometimes even six – though I don’t encourage six.
“But the idea is a woman needs eight to 10 hours, and the key is what’s called hormonal reserves. See, if you think of it this way, women depend so much on their adrenals to produce even daily hormones – a man does not. Men can produce maybe 2-3% of their adrenals and 97-98% is produced by testicles. Testicles work if you’re sleeping or not.”
He elaborated: “Women need a certain adrenal reserve, a hormone being produced to create their whole anabolics. Women need a lot more sleep than men, women need uninterrupted sleep.
“Men can get away [with less] because a lot of their vitality, a lot of their repair, is in testosterone and it’s mainly made by the testicles.”
He then noted that different individuals may tolerate varying amounts of sleep but stressed that for women to have “a great day”, eight to ten hours of sleep is necessary.
In the comments, people expressed their views. One user joked: “I thought women needed more sleep than men because fighting the patriarchy is exhausting?” Another stated: “This is why none of us are having a great day”, while someone else queried: “How on earth am I supposed to get 10 hrs of sleep, work full time, and have a life?”
Additionally, one quipped: “How do I tag my baby in this”, and another commenter shared: “This is so validating. Everyone thinks I’m insane for only feeling well rested after sleeping 10 hours a night. It’s super inconvenient needing that much sleep in this man made world, but I do!!”
The NHS states a “healthy adult usually needs around seven to nine hours of sleep”, noting that factors like “age, health and personal circumstances affect how much sleep we need, plus some people naturally sleep more than others”.