PTI
New York, Dec 10 (mb): It seems well-read women are more comfortable in bed than men - the more educated a female is, the better she sleeps at night. In case of males, it's just the reverse.
Yes, according to a study carried out by a team of international researchers, women have higher rates of insomnia than men and the more they are educated, the more likely they are to sleep through the night. Conversely, the better educated a man is, the less likely he is to get a good night's sleep, the ScienceDaily said.
"Globally, women are up to twice as likely to be insomniac as men. But, while higher educational attainment improves women's night time sleep quality, it has the opposite effect on men," the experts said.
The researchers came to the conclusion after analysing data from a survey on social trends, involving nearly 40,000 Taiwanese people aged 15 and older. Questions included marital status, employment or occupation, educational attainment, and household income, as well as the number of family members under the age of 15.
Insomnia was assessed using criteria developed by the WHO, and scored on a scale of one to five. Overall, insomnia tended to be more common among those who were older, divorced or separated, had low educational attainment, poor health, or low income. Children living at home also increased the rates of insomnia.
The findings applied to both sexes. The rates of insomnia were found to be "still significantly higher" among women, who averaged 1.22 more points on the insomnia scale than men. "Social factors undoubtedly play their part," they said.
Sex differences in insomnia score were most noticeable for divorced or separated women. "Stress linked to single parenting, low income, or stigma of a marriage break-down could all be possible factors," they said.
The team also found that unemployment exerted a greater impact on women's sleep quality, particularly among the married women. "Sex discrimination in the workplace and childcare responsibilities might account for this."
But experts found higher educational attainment improved women's night time sleep quality while it had the opposite effect on educated men.