When it comes to how much sleep men and women need, there’s no exact research-backed number that says one gender requires more than the other. In general, adults—regardless of gender—need at least 7 hours of sleep each night for optimal health. However, studies suggest that women may get a little more sleep than men, typically 11 to 13 minutes extra. The reasons for this difference come down to various biological, hormonal, and lifestyle factors.

Let’s explore why women might need more sleep and what impacts their sleep quality.

Why Do Women Need More Sleep?

There’s no one-size-fits-all explanation, but several factors contribute to why women may need a bit more sleep than men.

Sleep Disorders

Women are more likely to suffer from sleep disorders like insomnia, restless leg syndrome (RLS), and sleep apnea. In fact, studies show that women have a 40% higher chance of experiencing insomnia compared to men. These disorders can lead to poor sleep quality and leave women feeling unrested, even after what seems like a full night of sleep. This could explain why women might need more sleep to compensate for the hours lost due to tossing and turning.

Hormonal Fluctuations

Hormones play a huge role in sleep, especially for women. Throughout their lives, women experience hormonal changes related to menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, which can all impact sleep. For example:

• Menstruation: Hormonal changes during the premenstrual phase can make it harder to get a good night’s sleep, leading to fatigue.
• Pregnancy: Throughout pregnancy, hormone levels fluctuate, causing symptoms like fatigue, frequent urination, restless leg syndrome, and even breathing issues—all of which can disrupt sleep.
• Menopause: During perimenopause and menopause, women may experience hot flashes and night sweats, making it challenging to stay asleep. Additionally, the risk of developing sleep apnea increases after menopause.

All these hormonal shifts can interfere with sleep, leaving women needing extra rest to feel fully refreshed.

Lifestyle Factors Affecting Sleep

Beyond biology, lifestyle plays a big role in sleep quality and quantity.

Unpaid Labour and Caregiving

A 2013 study found that women tend to spend more time on unpaid labour, such as housework and caregiving, than men. This means that while women may technically have more time to sleep, their rest is more likely to be interrupted—whether it’s by a child needing care or household tasks needing attention. Employment also plays a role; working women might get less sleep than non-working women due to the demands of their jobs.

Different Attitudes Toward Sleep

Some research suggests that women may prioritise sleep more than men. Women tend to engage in fewer risky behaviours (like staying up late) and are more likely to make time for sleep. For example, women may go to bed earlier or take naps during the day, compared to men.

How Much Sleep Do You Actually Need?

While sleep needs can vary based on age, gender, and lifestyle, here’s a general guideline for how much sleep different age groups need, according to the CDC:

• Infants (birth to 3 months): 14 to 17 hours
• 4 to 11 months: 12 to 16 hours
• 1 to 2 years: 11 to 14 hours
• 3 to 5 years: 10 to 13 hours
• 6 to 12 years: 9 to 12 hours
• 13 to 18 years: 8 to 10 hours
• Adults (18 to 64 years): 7 to 9 hours
• Older adults (65+ years): 7 to 8 hours

These numbers are just guidelines, and your individual needs might vary based on health, stress levels, and daily routines.

Tips for Better Sleep

Whether you’re a man or a woman, getting enough quality sleep is important for your overall health. Here are some tips to improve your sleep hygiene:

• Stick to a consistent schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
• Create a sleep-friendly environment: Make your bedroom quiet, dark, and comfortable with a good mattress and bedding.
• Watch your diet: Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime.
• Limit blue light exposure: Reduce screen time from phones, TVs, and computers at least two hours before bed.
• Relax before bed: Engage in calming activities like reading, deep breathing, or taking a warm bath to help you wind down.
• Exercise regularly: Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster, but try to avoid exercising right before bed.

Remember how a few years ago, a nagging cough or chest congestion in your child almost always meant a pediatrician prescribing nebulisation? That was the norm back then. But not anymore. These days, you will notice more doctors recommending inhalers instead. What changed? No, it’s not that nebulisers are suddenly seen as harmful. The shift is more practical than that.

Dr Amit Dhamija, Pulmonologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital explains, “Nebulisers usually deliver a higher dose of medication, while inhalers allow for better dose control. It’s clinically proven that inhalers help in better delivery of medicines to lungs, if the technique is right. Earlier, inhalers weren’t widely used because children and elderly patients struggled with the technique - they couldn’t always coordinate breathing correctly. So doctors opted for nebulisers instead.” Now spacers are the game-changers.

Dr Viswateja Chitturi, Lead Consultant Pediatric Intensivist at Apollo Hospitals, Vizag, adds, “Earlier, doctors were concerned that patients wouldn’t use inhalers properly, so they relied on nebulisers to ensure the right dose reached the lungs. Now, with the use of spacers, even kids can use inhalers effectively. That’s why inhalers have become more common.”

There’s also a common myth floating around — that inhalers are addictive or make you dependent. This isn’t true. Inhalers are clinically proven to prevent asthma flare-ups and manage symptoms safely. And for those wary of allopathy, Dr Chitturi says that the fact is that alternative medicines often contain more steroids than your prescribed inhaler.

Apart from convenience, inhalers are far more portable and time-efficient than setting up a nebuliser every time.

But here’s the catch: don’t self-medicate. Dr Amit warns, “Every medicine, whether through inhalers or nebulisers, has side effects. These devices should never be used without a doctor’s supervision. I often meet patients who have already tried both and tell me they didn’t work. What they don’t realise is incorrect usage or wrong dosage can be risky. And sometimes, neither may even be needed. A proper diagnosis is key.”

The takeaway is that inhalers haven’t replaced nebulisers because one is better than the other. They both have their place. The choice depends on the patient, the condition, and how the medicine needs to be delivered. What’s important is to use them under medical guidance and not because you saw someone else do it or read about it online.

World Asthma Day - Make Inhaled Treatments Accessible for ALL

This year, the day will be observed on 6th May. It is a fight for combatting non-communicable disease in children and adults. This year, the theme of World Asthma Day is "Make Inhaled Treatments Accessible for ALL". The focus is to make sure that anyone with asthma has access to inhaled medications to prevent flare ups and manage asthma attack in a better manner.

Living a healthy lifestyle is crucial for your heart health. We all have heard this from our doctors, peers, as well as multiple studies across the internet. The number of things that could have a negative impact on your heart keeps seemingly increasing, leaving many of us wondering how many more things we should be aware of. New research has painted a clear picture for us and gives the exact number of everyday risks that could slash the risk of heart attack by 63%. In the study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, researchers were surprised to find that removing 56 unfavorable profiles, could lower the chances of declining heart health.

This shows that what we do every day has a really big impact on our heart health and our chances of this happening.

The researchers compared the people who had a sudden cardiac arrest with those who stayed healthy. They looked at 125 different things that people can change, like what they eat, how much they exercise, if they smoke or drink, how they feel emotionally, and even things like their job and money situation. The place you live at can also be a factor as the study noted that things like air pollution, traffic proximity and intensity, the percentage of natural environment can also affect your heart health. This helped them figure out which of these things were most strongly linked to having a sudden cardiac arrest.

Preventable Variables To Look Out For

The study found 56 things in our daily lives, our surroundings, and our health that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. If we pay attention to these things and make them better, like eating healthier or being more active, we might be able to stop up to 63% of these heart problems from happening. It's about looking at all the pieces of our lives.

The researchers expressed their astonishment over how many cases we could possibly prevent. He said that if people who have unhealthy habits or situations made improvements, we could see a big drop, somewhere between 40% and 63%, in the number of sudden cardiac arrests. This shows that making positive changes can have a much bigger effect than we might think.

How Did The Researchers Find This?

To learn more about what causes these heart problems, the researchers looked at a lot of information from a long-term health study in the UK. This study followed over 500,000 people for many years. During that time, more than 3,000 of them had a sudden cardiac arrest. By looking at all this data, the researchers could start to see patterns and find the things that might be increasing the risk.

The research draws attention towards the increasing numbers of people suffering with heart diseases in the world. According to the American Heart Association in just one year 436,000 American died due to cardiac arrests. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, taking 17.9 million lives each year. Hence, changing a few necessary things to protect your heart could save your life in the long run.

Fathers are always portrayed as the strong ones who keep the family together. Many are not given the space to express their emotions in a healthy way. The idea that dads need to be strong and stoic affects many men in different ways. The surprising state of men’s mental health is evident in different statistics. According to World Health Organization (WHO), men commit suicide twice the rate more than women. About 80% of suicides reported in the US happen to be men. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that men are four times more likely to die by suicide.

Not only is the lack of mental health care affecting men all around the world, but new study shows, their depression may have an effect on their children’s well-being. In a recent report done by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers found that children, whose fathers have undiagnosed depression, are more likely to have behavioral issues.

What Kinds Of Behaviors Did These Kids Exhibit?

The study found that young kids whose dads were found to be depressed, undiagnosed, were more likely to be restless and act out as they got older. By the time they were nine, they showed more anger and defiance. They also had a harder time working with others and didn't feel as good about themselves. This suggests that a father's early mental health can shape a child's behavior for many years.

Experts point out that we usually focus on mothers' mental health, especially after having a baby. However, this study reminds us of that fathers' mental health is just as important. We need to think about both parents' well-being because they both play a big role in raising their children. Ignoring one parent's struggles isn't good for the family as a whole.

How Common Is Parental Depression?

It might surprise you to learn that many fathers go through periods of feeling depressed when their kids are young. In fact, around 8 to 13 out of every 100 fathers in the US experience this. If the mother is also struggling with depression after giving birth, the chances of the father feeling depressed can shoot up, affecting as many as half of them.

To understand how fathers' mental health affects kids, researchers looked at information from a long-term study. They followed over 1,400 children born in big cities across the US. When the kids were five, they asked the fathers about any signs of depression. Then, when the kids were nine, their teachers helped assess how they were behaving in school and with others. This helped the researchers see connections over time.

Parent’s Mental Health Affect The Child’s Behavior

The results of the study clearly showed that there was a connection between fathers who were depressed and children who had more behavioral problems. The researchers found a pattern suggesting that when fathers struggle with their mental health, it can have a direct impact on how their children act and feel as they grow older.

When a father is depressed, it can make it harder for him to be the kind of parent he wants to be. For example, he might find it difficult to give his children the emotional support they need, like listening to their problems or offering comfort. His own sadness can also create tension and arguments at home, making the environment stressful for everyone in the family, including the kids.

When parents show their children that it's okay to ask for help when they're struggling, it teaches a valuable lesson. It shows kids that everyone faces challenges and that reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness. This understanding can stay with children throughout their lives, making them more likely to seek support when they need it too.