Sleep quality, circadian rhythm and metabolism differ in women and men – new review reveals this could affect disease risk

Sleep Quality, Circadian Rhythm, and Metabolism Differ in Women and Men – New Review Reveals This Could Affect Disease Risk

Understanding the Impact of Sex on Sleep and Health

Sleep is critical for our health and wellbeing. However, with poor sleep becoming a growing problem around the world, it’s more important now than ever to understand what factors affect sleep quality. One factor that affects how well a person sleeps at night is their sex. Research shows that sleep problems appear to be more common in women, and other studies have also shown that women may be more affected by circadian rhythm disruptions compared to men.

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Body Clock Differences

A new review conducted by myself and my colleagues sought to uncover the key differences in sleep quality and circadian rhythm function in men and women. We assessed around 150 articles, most of which were published in the last decade, that explored different aspects of sleep, circadian rhythms, and metabolism, as well as a few studies on potential sex differences in relation to these aspects.

We revealed some key differences in how women and men sleep – finding variations in their circadian rhythms as well as the way their metabolism functions as a result. We showed that women tend to report lower quality sleep compared to men, and their quality of sleep tends to fluctuate more than men’s did. Moreover, our review revealed that women are up to 50% more likely than men to develop certain sleep disorders, such as restless leg syndrome. On the other hand, men are up to three times more likely to be diagnosed with sleep apnoea than women are.

Metabolism Changes

Sleep quality and the circadian rhythm both have strong effects on metabolism, with previous research showing a link between circadian rhythm disruption and higher risk of metabolic diseases, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Our review also investigated the link between these two factors and metabolism – and whether this also differed in men and women.

We found that women’s and men’s brains respond differently to pictures of food when they’re sleep deprived. We revealed that brain areas associated with emotion are twice as active in sleep-deprived women than in sleep-deprived men. However, men who were sleep deprived reported feeling hungrier than women. These responses might suggest it could affect a person’s eating choices the next day – such as what foods they choose to eat and how much they eat. But it will be important for future studies to test this idea.

Circadian Rhythm Disruption and Disease Risk

We found that people who worked night shifts were more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes compared to those who worked during the day. However, a man’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes was twice as high when working night shifts than a woman’s. But female night shift workers were shown to be around one-and-a-half times more likely to be overweight or obese compared to women who worked day shifts.

Conclusion

Our findings all show just how important sleep and circadian rhythms are when it comes to our metabolism and risk of certain diseases, including diabetes and those related to body weight. These findings reinforce what other studies before us have shown, which is that biological sex can affect many aspects of sleep – including the quality of sleep a person gets each night, what sleep problems they may be at greater risk of developing, and how their body responds to sleep deprivation.

FAQs

Q: Why do women tend to report lower quality sleep compared to men?
A: Our review found that women tend to report lower quality sleep compared to men, and their quality of sleep tends to fluctuate more than men’s did.

Q: Why are women more likely to develop certain sleep disorders?
A: Our review revealed that women are up to 50% more likely than men to develop certain sleep disorders, such as restless leg syndrome.

Q: Why do men tend to prefer going to sleep and waking up later?
A: Our review found that men tend to prefer going to sleep and waking up later, which may clash with social demands, such as work.

Q: How does sleep deprivation affect a person’s eating choices?
A: Our review found that sleep-deprived women’s brains respond differently to pictures of food compared to sleep-deprived men. However, men who were sleep deprived reported feeling hungrier than women.

Q: What is the link between circadian rhythm disruption and metabolic disease?
A: Our review found that sleep quality and the circadian rhythm both have strong effects on metabolism, with previous research showing a link between circadian rhythm disruption and higher risk of metabolic diseases, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.