Recently researchers performed a test where a group of women and a group of men (test conducted separately and in isolation) were made to experience 28 hour days, over a 10 day period. What they intended to do was to disrupt all participants ‘body clock’ and then test their ability to perform tasks at times when they would have normally been asleep. There is a considerable amount of literature that looks at circadian rhythm, fatigue, sleep restriction and the resulting clear physiological and mental impairment. However this study looked to concentrate on the differences between males and females in the specific context of circadian rhythm (one ½ of our drive to sleep). The lead researcher, Professor Derk-Jan Dijk from the University of Surry noted that women are often excluded from sleep research due to hormonal differences to men. What they have found in this instance was that both males and females showed decreased performance during the times they would have otherwise been asleep (if not participating in the study). Interestingly though, they also found that the performance of women decreased more significantly than did the men. We do need to be mindful this study was limited to small sample sizes (not strong evidence) but it does highlight that in future, if we are looking to understand the effect of circadian on human sleep, we should not limit ourselves to only men.
Story Source:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-19/women-may-be-more-affected-by-shift-work-than-men/7335368
