Women and Beauty Rest…Turns out we need LESS than Men!
After reading “Why Mom Wakes before Dad,” an article by LiveScience.com, I found that women have different circadian rhythms from men. Researchers at Harvard Medical School headed up a study that looked at how easy it was for the participants to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Apparently, there are two indicators of circadian rhythm: core body temperature and levels of melatonin. What I did not know was that the “natural circadian rhythm is reset daily by exposure to natural light.” Perhaps, this is the reason why some people use black out curtains in their bedrooms. I, personally, use a black out curtain in my bedroom because the light in the morning is so harsh and bright. The curtain is especially useful on weekends when getting up early should be out of the question. The thought also popped in my head that some people like to sleep with a fan constantly running while they sleep. Maybe that contributes to the decrease in their core body temperature, therefore, allowing them to sleep better.
In the study, researchers found that about “35% of women had circadian rhythms shorter than 24 hours, compared to the 14% of men.” I suppose this means that women need less sleep than men, according to the study.
There are many other factors that contribute to the way you sleep at night, however. Some factors might be:
- Having caffeine before you go to sleep at night
- Your stress level
- Types of food you’re eating
- Comfort of your bed
- Whether you’re hot or cold
- Body pain
I have heard that if you read a book or magazine before you go to sleep that it encourages your body to relax. I always remember my grandmother drinking hot tea before going to sleep also.
What are some ways that you encourage your body to relax before you sleep?