TheEffectsofSex/GenderonExerciseandSleep

Animportantbutoftenoverlookedfactortoconsiderinunderstandingtheeffectsof
exerciseonsleepissex.Datapertainingspecificallytotheinfluenceofexerciseonsleepasit
relatestospecificsexesorgendersislimited.Additionally,severalstudiesshowconflictingdata.
Whilesomestudiessuggestthatphysicalactivityhasnoeffectonmaleandfemalesleepprofiles
[JeanLouis],othersstudiesshowthatthebetteronesphysicalfitnessthebetteronessleep
regardlessofsex[Andi]andstillotherssuggestthatregularexerciseisapositivefactorinmale
sleepqualityandaninsignificantfactorinfemalesleepquality[Basta].Reasonsforthese
discrepanciesmayincludedifferencesintoolsusedtomeasuresleepqualityand
quantityactigraphystudiesversusquestionnairebasedstudiesanddifferencesinmaleand
femalephysicalactivity.
Thoughstudiesareinconclusiveaboutwhatspecificallycausessexdifferencesinsleep
qualityandquantity,considerableevidenceconfirmsthatsexandgenderindeedhaveaneffect
onsleepduetotheconsistencyofothervariables[JeanLouis].Onestudysuggestedthat
environmentalfactorsmayinfluencemalesandfemalesdifferently,thuscontributingtothe
differencesintheirsleepqualityandquantity:Exercisevariables,suchasamountofactivity
andintensitythenightbefore,contributedtoamodelforspecialsleepscoreformenbutnotfor
women.Forwomenvariablesassociatedwithpsychologicalfactorsseemedtobeofgreater
importanceforsleepqualitythanwasexercise[Andi].Thoughthevariablesthataffectsleep
maydifferformalesandfemales,studiesconsistentlyreportedthatwomensleepbetterthan
males[Girardin,Bixler].Womenhadbettersleepqualitythanmen,asdemonstratedbyhigher
sleepefficiency,shortersleeplatency,andlowerfrequencyofsleep/waketransitions[Jean

Louis].Astudyperformedinacontrolledsleeplabenvironmentsuggestedthatwomenalsotend
tobemoreresistanttosleepdisturbancesthanmen[Bixler].Anotherstudyusedobjective
polysomnographyinacontrolledsleeplabsettingandobservedbetterqualityinfemalesleep
andmoresubjectivesleepinessinmalesthoughpreliminarysubjectivequestionnairessuggested
theopposite[Goel].Thisfurthercontributestotheideathatpsychologicalfactorsmayhave
moreofaninfluenceonfemalesleepthanonmalesleepassuggestedbyothermentioned
studies.Menopausealsoappearstobeaninfluencingfactorinsleepqualityandquantityfor
women:Ourstudybasedonalargegeneralrandomsampleofnormalsleepersofawideage
range,showedthatwomensleepobjectivelymoreandbetterthanmenandmenopauseis
associatedwithprolongedsleeplatencyanddecreasedslowwavesleep,whereashormone
treatmentappearstoprotectwomenfromtheseunfavourablechanges[Bixler].Themajorityof
datasuggestedthatinadditiontobettersleepquality,womenalsoreceivemoresleepthanmen.
Thoughonestudyindicatedthatthereareminimaldifferencesinsleepquantityformenand
women[Basta]anotherreportedasignificantlyhigherpercentsleeptime[Bixler]forwomen
andanotherstudyperformedonItalianadolescentsindicatedapproximatelyelevenmoreminutes
ofsleeppernightforgirlsthanboys[Borchers].
Mostoftheobserveddataindicatesbetteroverallsleepqualityandquantityforfemales
thanformales.However,whencomparingactigraphystudiesversusquestionnairebasedstudies,
thedataappearstoconflict.Inoneactigraphystudywomenreportedmoresubjectivesleepiness
thanmalesthoughthemeasuredsleeplatencywasshorterinthefemalesthanthemales
[JeanLouis].Thisactigraphybasedstudysuggeststhatquestionnairestudiesmaynotalwaysbe
reliableduetothesubjectivityofthetests.Inadditiontoreportinganoverallbetteractigraphic

sleepprofileforwomen,thisstudycitesconflictingdatathatsuggestsinselfreportedsleep
questionnairesfemalereportsweremoreconsistentwithactualobservedfindingsthanmale
reports[JeanLouis].Otherstudieshowever,appeartoindicatemorediscrepanciesinsubjective
versusobjectiveanalysis:Middleagedandelderlyfemalepopulationsreportpoorersubjective
sleepqualitythanmenofsimilarage...However,objectivepolysomnographicmeasuresinthese
groupsshowtheoppositepatternwomenhavebettersleepqualitythanmen[Goel].Subjective
questionnaireanalysiscomparedwithactigraphanalysisindicatesthatwomentendto
overreportandmentendtounderreportinselfreportstudies.Differencesinselfreportmay
alsobeinfluencedbyenvironmentalfactorsthatcauseparticipantstoanswerinparticularways.
Whencomparingselfreportstoobserveddata,onestudynotedthatgirlshadapreconceived
connectionofimprovedphysicalfitnesswithimprovedsleepqualitythosewithpositive
selfimagetendedtoreportbettersleepqualitythanothers[Andi].Inrealitythestudyreflected
thatimprovedfitnessdidnothaveasignificanteffectonimprovedsleepquality[Andi].The
discrepanciesindataanalysismustbetakenintoconsiderationwhenobservingthedifferencesin
maleandfemalesleeppatterns.
Maleandfemalesexesdifferintheamountofexerciseandphysicalactivitythey
routinelyparticipatein[Basta,Flausino,JeanLouis].Onestudyobservedtheeffectsofexercise
onsleepasitrelatestomaleandfemalesexperiencingsleepapnea.Thisstudyfoundthatwomen
whohavesleepapneatendtoexerciselessoftenthanmenwithsleepapneaandthatinmen
withseveresleepiness,regularexercisewasassociatedwithareductionofsleepinessbynearly
41%whileregularexercisehadlittleobservedeffectonfemalesleepiness[Basta].Another
studytestedtheeffectsofatleast30minutesofinputedmoderateexerciseonyounghealthy

malesandconcludedthataddedexerciseimprovesthesleepqualityforalreadygoodsleepers
[Flausino].Therewerenostudiesrecordedontheeffectsofaddedexerciseonfemalesleep
quality.Manyofthestudiesexclusivelyreferencedexerciseasitimpactedmalesleep,though
broadassociationsbetweenimprovedsleepqualityandexercisehavebeentheorizedaboutfor
thegeneralpopulation[Flausino].Implicationsaboutthewayregularoraddedexerciseimpacted
femalesleeppatternswasseverelylimited.Thesefindingseithersuggestthattheamountof
exercisewomenroutinelyreceivebecomesinsignificantwhenobservingtheeffectsofexercise
onsleeporthataddedorregularexerciseactuallyhaslesseffectonfemalesleepqualitythanon
malesleepquality.Thelackofresearchonthistopicandthesomewhatconflictingdatawithin
thatresearchindicatesthatfurtherstudiesshouldbeperformedtomoreclearlyassessthe
influenceofgenderonsleepandexercise.
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