SHESPEAKS Your Power to Influence

Next time you call your husband out for being grumpy in the morning you may want to take a look in the mirror. CBS News reports about a Duke University study that suggests women are generally grumpier in the morning than men, especially when they haven’t gotten enough shut-eye.

The study also suggests women require a lot more sleep than men and show more signs of mental and physical distress when they aren’t clocking enough hours in bed. The recommended amount of sleep for the average adult is usually between 7 and 8 hours, but as a SheSpeaks poll finds more than 40% of women report getting only 6 hours on a week night.

One of the reasons researchers believe lack of sleep is harder on women than men has to do with a more delicate balance of hormones that women have. Not getting enough sleep can throw these hormones out of balance causing a general sense of unhappiness in the morning.

Being grumpy doesn’t seem to be the only side effect when women don’t get enough sleep. Scientists also found heart disease to be a risk factor when we regularly get too little sleep. Michael Breus, author of "The Sleep Doctor's Diet Plan”, explains how lack of sleep can lead to physical problems as well. Beus says, “What we found is women who didn't get enough sleep had an increase in a clotting factor which leads to stroke. We also note that there are certain inflammation markers that are higher in women. Inflammation leads to pain, so women could be in more pain than men.”

What do you think of the study that suggests women need more sleep than men and tend to be grumpier in the morning?

What is your attitude in the morning when you haven’t had enough sleep?