Who gets more sleep – men or women? The difference is clear.

Who gets more sleep – men or women? A new study by Jawbone says that women sleep more than men. A lot more.

Jawbone is a leading manufacturer of wearable technology. Its UP3 tracker is one of the most popular models on the market. Accompanying all Jawbone trackers is its app which connects hundreds of thousands of its users to the UP community. Jawbone occasionally taps into this data on an anonymous basis, to develop insights on behavior, biology and health.

We have covered a number of these studies. A recent analysis reveals patterns in the travel behavior of members of the UP community. We have also covered their study on what makes us happy.

Jawbone fitness trackers provide detailed sleep tracking data. In fact, in our overview of the best fitness trackers of 2015, we have named the UP3 as the best activity tracker for monitoring sleep. Jawbone has peaked into this data to provide us with an unexpected insight on the difference in sleep patterns between men and women.

Basically, Jawbone has found that women sleep more than men. A lot more. 20 minutes more. Every day. When you multiply that by 365, it works out to women sleeping an additional 5 full days per year! The chart below illustrates this well.

This happens across all age groups, and in just about every country. Teens get, and need, the most sleep. This then gradually declines to middle-aged folks who get the least sleep. Work and family commitments are probably the reason for this. From then on, the number of sleep hours starts to increase for both sexes. The gap between men and women starts to narrow as we age. The age at which this happens varies by country: in the US, it’s around 65, in Japan, 55, in China, at 60.

While there are significant differences in sleep duration by country (Japan averages 6.1 hours of sleep compared to Australia’s 7.25 hours of sleep), women still tend to sleep more than men.

Jawbone admits that they don’t know exactly why women sleep more than men. Perhaps there is the possibility that women need more sleep for the sake of recuperation before and after childbirth. Or it could be due to differences in work schedules or, on a lighter note, as Jawbone puts it – snoring partners?

Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety. During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. Longer sleep duration is correlated with improved mood, until you get to 8 hours of sleep. People who sleep between 8 – 9.5 hours tend to wake up happier than those who slept less or more than that. The above data shows that both men and women are getting less sleep than they should.

One thing is clear. Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. One way to ensure you are getting enough shut eye is by using a fitness tracker or gadget that monitors sleep. You can find our overview of the best sleep trackers on the market here.