Why Women Need More Sleep than Men

Usha Anandi. 21| AUGUST | 2024

Here’s the truth: If you don’t choose a time to rest, your body will choose for you.

That’s what I learned the hard way. If you feel guilty every time you just want to lay back and watch your favorite show, I get you.

But I can also guarantee that rest isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity. Especially for women.

Maybe you grew up watching your mother tirelessly juggle multiple responsibilities without taking any time for herself. If rest was rarely modeled in your home, you might have learned to associate productivity with worth…

And rest with laziness.

Newsflash: that’s just simply not true.

You’re worth SO MUCH MORE than your productive output, and these societal norms are based almost strictly on men’s rules. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… Men need to create to rest, and women need to rest to create.

In this blog, I’ll walk you through the big reasons women need more rest than men as taught in Ayurveda.

But first, if you’re serious about putting your health first, I invite you to join the waitlist for my year-long Ayurvedic membership, Wise Womban Way.

We only accept new members a few times a year, so get on the waitlist to be the first to know when doors open…

JOIN THE WAITLIST

Let’s get down to business.

Rest is a necessity – that much is clear. I’m not just talking about sleep, though – I’m talking about giving yourself the time and space to wind down and take it easy when your body needs it.

In Ayurveda, an age-old tradition of medicine originating in India over 5000 years ago, following the rhythm of nature is paramount to good health. Just as nature has its cycles, so does the female body. While women are expected to give it 100% during the entirety of our menstrual cycle, that’s just not how we’re wired.

Ayurveda also teaches us that true rest, especially during the moonlight hours, is crucial for replenishing our reproductive tissues and supporting womb health. The Western approach, based on sleep research predominantly focused on men, often overlooks our bodies’ unique needs.

Let’s dig into our natural rhythms to get a better idea of what this means…

☀️ The Circadian Rhythm

The 24-hour cycle that most of us have heard of. It dictates when we feel fully awake and when we get sleepy, and is governed by the sun. Men, in general, operate predominantly on this rhythm. Much like the sun, it rises and sets at roughly the same time every day. For men, this means their energy levels, sleep patterns, and even hormone fluctuations follow this daily cycle quite consistently, and the overrated 8-hour-a-night sleep schedule can do the trick.

🌙 The Infradian Rhythm

For us women, things get a little more intricate and mystical. Enter the infradian rhythm. This is a longer cycle, typically around 28 days. Sound familiar? Yep – this is a just fancy-dancy way of saying your menstrual cycle. The Infradian Rhythm is like the moon – waxing and waning, and influencing not just our sleep but our energy, mood, and thoughts throughout the month. Our bodies are aligned with these monthly shifts, which means our sleep needs can vary significantly from one week to the next. Depending on the day, we need 8 to 10 hours of sleep to shine our brightest.

All that being said, here’s the reason women need more sleep than men:

Women’s adrenal glands produce a lot of our hormones etc… Our hormone production relies heavily on our adrenals. Our adrenals recharge during the night, while we sleep, and what we need from them changes from day to day during our cycle. Men, on the other hand, rely mostly on their testes for hormone production, with their adrenals playing a very small role.

“Okay Usha, but why does all this actually matter?”, you may be wondering…

If your sleep schedule is out of whack and you struggle with:

• Irregular periods
• Painful periods
• Mood swings
• Weight fluctuations
• Inexplicable cravings
• Hormonal imbalances

The impact a healthy sleep schedule can have on your life will knock your socks off.

Because our infradian rhythm controls so much, swimming against the current just doesn’t make sense.

We NEED to honor our body’s signals for more rest, especially during certain phases of our menstrual cycle.

If you feel more tired during Inner Fall (the luteal phase) – that’s fine! That’s just your body’s way of preparing for the big energy shift that comes with your bleed.

So next time you’re craving a nap or want to hit the hay earlier, don’t beat yourself up. Your body has good reason.

On our new YouTube channel, my friend and Master Yogi, Jeanie Jyanti and I talk frankly about Why Women Need More Rest. You can watch (or listen) to our convo on YouTube here.

Struggling to find your balance? My year-long Ayurvedic membership can help.

Join the waitlist and be the first to know when doors open. I’ll share everything I know on eating, lifestyle, and medicine-making to easily realign with nature and reclaim your body’s wisdom.

ADD YOUR NAME TO THE WAITLIST