Many people sleep badly, the reasons for this are very different. And they also affect the sexes in completely different ways: Bad news, arguments in the family or problems at work cause women much more trouble than men.
Far more women than men in Germany state that they have had a bad night’s sleep because of bad world news. This is the result of a representative survey for which the opinion research institute Onepoll interviewed 4,000 adults nationwide. “When there is disturbing news about world events,” 26 percent of women sleep “particularly badly,” while only 17 percent of men say so.
According to the survey, a total of 43 percent of women would like better sleep, while only 25 percent of men are dissatisfied with their own night’s sleep. According to this, women also feel less efficient, unfocused or not recovered in the morning significantly more often after poor sleep. They also report more frequently than men that they wake up several times during the night or that they have nightmares. It remains unclear whether this is really the case or whether it is due to the male gender role model that is still often present, according to which men do not want to appear weak when it comes to health issues.
According to the survey, women (55 percent) are more likely to lose sleep because of previous family disputes (30 percent for men), problems at work (44 versus 28 percent) or a lavish dinner (32 versus 21 percent).
Gender-specific differences are also evident with regard to circumstances that, according to the respondents themselves, have a positive effect on sleep. A stress-free day (33 percent of women, 22 percent of men), nice experiences (39 and 30 percent) and cozy hours with your partner (24 and 12 percent) have a sleep-promoting effect.
Men, on the other hand, say more often (28 to 19 percent) that they like to work out with sport in the evening so that they can sleep well at night. After nighttime sex, 26 percent of women say they sleep “particularly well” – and 23 percent of men.
The opinion research institute Onepoll surveyed 4,000 adults nationwide online between May 27 and June 22, 2022. The following questions were asked and possible answers were given:
Question: Which of the following statements about the quality of your sleep when falling asleep and getting up do you agree or which statements apply to you?
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Question: In which of the following situations do you sleep particularly poorly?
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Question: In which of the following situations do you sleep particularly well?
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