Sleep, Inflammation, and Gender Differences… You’ll Want to Read This.
Recently, I found myself deep in a conversation with friends about whether women actually need more sleep than men. You’ve probably heard the same claim floating around social media or morning talk shows. But as a physician, I couldn’t help but go down a research rabbit hole to see what science says.
And the answer? It's not as clear-cut as we’d like it to be.
Women Sleep More—But Do They Need More?
It turns out, community-based studies consistently show that women tend to sleep more than men—often by 45 minutes to an hour—across most age groups. However, there isn’t strong scientific evidence proving that women need more sleep biologically. It’s unclear whether women require more rest due to physiological differences, or whether other factors (like lifestyle, caregiving roles, or stress) play a role in the longer sleep duration.
So while women do sleep more, we can’t say for certain it’s because their bodies demand it.
What We Do Know: Sleep and Inflammation Are Closely Linked
What we do know is that sleep affects inflammation. When you're sleeping, your body is doing some of its most important healing work—repairing muscles, resetting your brain, and regulating your immune system. But here’s where it gets interesting: studies have shown that people who sleep more than 9 hours, or those who have disrupted or poor-quality sleep, often have higher levels of inflammatory markers, like C-reactive protein (CRP).
This raises a key question:
Is inflammation caused by long or poor-quality sleep? Or does high body inflammation interrupt and cause poor-quality sleep—requiring your body to sleep more in order to heal from it?
The truth is, it may be both.
Inflammation and sleep have a two-way relationship. Inflammation can make your sleep worse, and poor sleep can make your inflammation worse. For people with autoimmune conditions or chronic health issues, this connection is even stronger—they often sleep more, but still wake up tired due to a lack of restorative sleep.
That’s why addressing underlying inflammation—whether through diet, movement, stress management, or medications—is a powerful step toward improving not just your health, but your sleep quality as well.
Why Sleep Quality Beats Sleep Quantity
We often obsess over the number of hours we sleep, but that’s only part of the picture. What really matters is the quality of your sleep, especially your ability to progress through healthy sleep cycles.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
Stage 3 sleep (slow-wave or deep sleep) is the most restorative.
REM sleep (the dreaming phase) is essential for memory and emotional processing.
Each full cycle lasts about 90 minutes, and if you're interrupted before the cycle completes, your body has to start all over again.
This means if you're waking up every 45 minutes—or even every couple of hours—you’re likely missing out on deep, restorative sleep. And without that, your body can't repair, heal, or recharge properly.
Common culprits of disrupted sleep include:
Pain
Anxiety or racing thoughts
Needing to urinate frequently
Kids or pets waking you up
Loud noises or light
Underlying inflammation
If any of these sound familiar, it’s worth investigating. Disrupted sleep is more than a nuisance—it’s linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even dementia.
So What Can You Do?
If you’re struggling with poor-quality sleep, you’re not alone. And while there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, here are a few steps you can take:
Address the root causes of sleep disruption—noise, light, pain, urination or other interruptions.
Evaluate your inflammation levels. Chronic inflammation can interfere with sleep and recovery. This might involve:
Anti-inflammatory nutrition
Regular exercise
Stress management (hello, meditation and breathwork!)
Medications or targeted treatment if you have an autoimmune condition
Practice good sleep hygiene:
Stick to a regular bedtime and wake time
Avoid screens before bed
Keep your room cool, dark, and quiet
Limit caffeine and alcohol intake
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re a woman sleeping 9 hours or a man getting by on 6, the most important thing is how well you’re sleeping. Quality always trumps quantity. If you’re waking up exhausted or feeling like your body isn’t healing the way it should, it may be time to dig deeper—either into your environment or into your body’s inflammation levels.
And if you’re not sure where to start, I’d be happy to help.
Need help getting your sleep (and health) back on track?
Schedule a visit with me today.
Let’s work together to uncover what your body needs to feel rested, restored, and resilient.
Resources
Consensus Conference Panel; Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, Bliwise DL, Buxton OM, Buysse D, Dinges DF, Gangwisch J, Grandner MA, Kushida C, Malhotra RK, Martin JL, Patel SR, Quan SF, Tasali E; Non-Participating Observers; Twery M, Croft JB, Maher E; American Academy of Sleep Medicine Staff; Barrett JA, Thomas SM, Heald JL. Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. J Clin Sleep Med. 2015 Jun 15;11(6):591-2. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.4758. PMID: 25979105; PMCID: PMC4442216.
Burgard SA, Ailshire JA. Gender and Time for Sleep among U.S. Adults. Am Sociol Rev. 2013 Feb;78(1):51-69. doi: 10.1177/0003122412472048. PMID: 25237206; PMCID: PMC4164903.
Irwin MR, Olmstead R, Carroll JE. Sleep Disturbance, Sleep Duration, and Inflammation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies and Experimental Sleep Deprivation. Biol Psychiatry. 2016 Jul 1;80(1):40-52. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.05.014. Epub 2015 Jun 1. PMID: 26140821; PMCID: PMC4666828.
