Not getting a good nights sleep is enough to make anyone irritable. However, of the two sexes, it is women who are naturally more grumpy after a bad night.
London, Mar 27 : Not getting a good night's sleep is enough to make anyone irritable. However, of the two sexes, it is women who are naturally more grumpy after a bad night.
But, as it turns out, women may have an excuse for being grumpier, for researchers found that poor sleep also affects their overall health more seriously than in men.
The effect, say boffins at Duke University in North Carolina who conducted the research, is so marked that it could up the risk of diabetes, heart attack and stroke.
The researchers based their findings on a study that involved 210 male and female volunteers without sleep disorders.
40 percent of the volunteers however, were classed as poor sleepers after they filled in a questionnaire.
During the course of the study, researchers took blood samples and analysed the volunteers' psychological condition.
They found that women who didn't get a good night's sleep were more likely to be angry, depressed and suffer from other disorders than men.
"For women, poor sleep is associated with high levels of psychological distress, and feelings of hostility, depression and anger. These feelings were not associated with the same degree of sleep disruption in men," the Telegraph quoted Dr Edward Suarez, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences, as saying.
They also noted that not getting enough sleep increased levels of insulin and glucose in women. These are linked to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Higher levels of fibrinogen, a clotting agent linked to stroke, was also noted in women who lacked sleep.
The study was published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.
ANI