A good education makes women sleep better

May 24 2005

According to a study done in Taiwan educated women are less likely to suffer from insomnia than their less learned counterparts, but surprisingly, their male equivalents are less likely to get a good night’s sleep if they have had the benefit of a good education.

The study involved almost 40,000 Taiwanese people aged over 15 and gathered details of insomnia sufferers’ marital status, job details, educational attainment, household income and the number of family members aged under 15.

Insomnia was ranked on a scale of one to five, and females were found to have an average index of 1.22 points more than men.

The report’s authors say there are several possible explanations for their findings, but suggest that the sex difference in insomnia may be largely determined by inherent biological differences.

They say additional research is needed to understand the sex discrepancies in insomnia.

The findings are published in the current edition of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.