Expert says women need more sleep than men

We are always tired.

And we don't just mean we feel a bit lazy in the afternoon but evenings are a struggle to keep our eyes open and don't even get us started on those early work mornings.

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While men may claim that they require more sleep than women, an expert has rubbished that - and we couldn't be happier.

Professor Jim Horne, a sleep neuroscientist and formerly Director of Loughborough University’s Sleep Research Centre, claims women actually can experience increased levels of psychological distress if they don't get the amount of sleep they need.

Horne studied 210 middle-aged men and women and found that on average, women tend to need 20 minutes more sleep than men, but this can vary from woman to woman.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Professor Horne said that due to women's ability to "multi-task" throughout the day their brains need more time to recover.

"The more of your brain you use during the day, the more of it that needs to recover and, consequently, the more sleep you need," he said.

“Women tend to multi-task — they do lots at once and are flexible — and so they use more of their actual brain than men do. Because of that, their sleep need is greater".

And if you find it hard to shut off after long day and relax, sleep researcher Glenn Landry swears by wearing sunglasses before bed.

Once behaviour reserved for celebrities or the extremely hungover, wearing sunnies indoors is said to reduce your exposure to bright light and help keep your body clock regulated.

With your eyes exposed to everything from laptops, phones and TV screens, throwing shade indoors is one way of helping you snooze better.

"Beginning at eight at night, two hours before [the] time I want to go to bed, I wear sunglasses" Glenn told CBC News.

"I'm trying to avoid light. I’m trying to tell my clock that this is the end of the day."

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