Women report poor sleep despite a good night’s rest — while men overestimate their own sleep quality

Men reported sleeping better than they objectively did, while the opposite was true for women. DimaBerlin/ Shutterstock

Disturbed sleep is a common problem — and one that has many serious consequences beyond feeling tired the next day. Research has linked insomnia and poor sleep to early mortality and diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Women often report experiencing disturbed sleep more frequently than men. They also constitute the majority of patients in sleep clinics. Yet strangely, some studies show worse objective sleep quality in men – a bit of a paradox.