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<\/a>Now, thanks to Britain\u2019s leading sleep expert, that argument can finally be settled. In fact, women need 20 minutes more shut-eye than the average man. And that\u2019s down to a woman\u2019s busy, multi-tasking brain.<\/p>\n
\u2018One of the major functions of sleep is to allow the brain to recover and repair itself,\u2019 says Professor Jim Horne, director of the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University and author of Sleepfaring: A Journey Through The Science Of Sleep.<\/p>\n
\nWomen need 20 minutes more shut-eye than the average man<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u2018During deep sleep, the cortex \u2013 the part of the brain responsible for thought memory, language and so on \u2013 disengages from the senses and goes into recovery mode.<\/p>\n
\u2018The more of your brain you use during the day, the more of it that needs to recover and, consequently, the more sleep you need.<\/p>\n
\u2018Women tend to multi-task \u2013 they do lots at once and are flexible \u2013 and so they use more of their actual brain than men do. Because of that, their sleep need is greater.<\/p>\n
\u2018A man who has a complex job that involves a lot of decision-making and lateral thinking may also need more sleep than the average male \u2013 though probably still not as much as a woman.<\/p>\n
This is because women\u2019s brains are wired differently from men\u2019s and are more complex, so their sleep need will be slightly greater.<\/p>\n