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Women need more sleep than men because their brains are more complex… from a new study from England’s Loughborough University.

“For women, poor sleep is strongly associated with high levels of psychological distress and greater feelings of hostility, depression and anger,” professor Jim Horne stated “In contrast, these feelings were not associated with the same degree of sleep disruption in men.”

“Women’s brains are wired differently from men’s and are more complex, so their sleep need will be slightly greater,” he said. “The more of your brain you use during the day, the more of it that needs to recover and, consequently, the more sleep you need.”  ~metro.co.uk

Women need more sleep than men, says a new study

Do you get 7-9 hours of sleep every night?   It makes a big difference.

Here are 5 ways to get more sleep:

1- Sleep with socks on your feet.
Crazy, right?  “Heating cold feet causes vasodilation—dilation of the blood vessels—which may tell the brain that it is bedtime.” according to sleep.org
A foot with a sock on it with text above it.
2- Consistency
This one is hard for me, but if you go to sleep around the same time every night, your body will adjust.   Soon, your body will expect it and you will begin to feel sleepy around that time.  Wake up around the same time, too.

3- Get a mattress that helps you sleep.
Try out the Natural Escape mattresses from My  Green Mattress: (voted Best Mattress in 2016).   This hypoallergenic mattress takes the technology from our Pure Echo mattress and incorporates three inches of organic latex over the pocketed coil innerspring.  Because of the additional support, it works for me, a side sleeper.   It’s a supportive mattress with a plush top feel.
A mattress on a bed frame with head board.
A bed in a room with a night stand and lamp.

4– Have a banana & milk before bed.
According to health.com: “You may have fond memories of your mother or grandmother making you a glass of warm milk to help you fall asleep. This may not be just an old wives’ tale. Milk contains the amino acid tryptophan, a precursor to the brain chemical serotonin.  Some people believe that tryptophan and serotonin might make it easier to sleep. Or maybe a simple glass of milk brings back soothing childhood memories, which help you drift off.”

“Bananas help promote sleep because they contain the natural muscle-relaxants magnesium and potassium, says Gans. They’re also carbs which will help make you sleepy as well. In fact, bananas are a win-win situation in general. “They’re overall health promoters,” says Rosenberg. “We need potassium for cardiovascular health and cognitive functioning.”

A banana smoothie with cut bananas around the glass.

5- Read a book!
I find that reading a book before bed helps me to fall asleep.  The kids do this, too, for 20 minutes before bed.

Thank you for My Green Mattress for today’s partnership.

Hi there!

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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