- Women may live longer than men because they are better
sleepers, says new research.
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- Researchers in the US found women suffer less from sleep
loss than men.
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- They appear to be more resistant to the effects of sleep
deprivation, and sleep more soundly.
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- The findings show missing sleep can affect hormone levels
and generate harmful chemicals in the body.
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- Chief scientist Dr Alexandros Vgontzas, from Pennsylvania
State University, believes women's sleeping habits may have evolved to
help them cope with crying babies and disturbed nights. He thought it could
help explain why women live, on average, several years longer than men.
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- "Women are sleeping better, so can this be one of
the reasons they are living longer" he said.
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- Dr Vgontzas and researchers at the US National Institute
of Health studied the effects of missing two hours' sleep per night on
25 men and women aged in their 20s. After a week, the volunteers had become
drowsier and did not perform as well in vigilance tests.
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- Both sexes showed increased levels of inflammatory chemicals
called cytokines but only men had raised levels of a chemical called tumour
necrosis factor alpha (TNF), which may contribute to the development of
obesity and diabetes.
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- "Greater increases in TNF-alpha levels put men at
greater health risks from lack of sleep," said Dr Vgontzas.
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- The study, published in the journal Chemistry and Industry,
shows women had 70 minutes of deep sleep per night compared with 40 minutes
for men. In the UK, the life expectancy of women is 81 years and for men
75.
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