Between hormone fluctuations, constant multitasking, and the mental load of managing family, home and work, many women feel exhausted. Is that feeling simply part of modern motherhood — or is science telling us something deeper? There’s growing evidence that yes — women may need more sleep, and not just because they’re “tired.”
The basic evidence: women sleep more (but also struggle more)
First, the research. Several large-scale and review studies show that women tend to get a little more sleep than men, and report greater need, but also more disruptions. A few key findings:
One study found women reported about 23 more minutes of sleep per day than men, after adjusting for other variables.
Another found women slept on average about 14 minutes longer on workdays and 27 minutes longer on leisure days than men, and also reported a 32-minute longer preferred sleep duration.
As summarized in a review: “It is now known that women sleep longer and report that they need more sleep than men.”
The National Sleep Foundation notes that “females tend to sleep slightly more than males at every life stage, about 11 minutes on average.”
So yes — women do get slightly more sleep on average, and they report needing more sleep. But the story doesn’t end there.
Why do they need more (or recover more) sleep? Hormones, brain-use, disruptions
There are several overlapping pieces that help explain why. Below are major threads with links to your desired themes.
Hormonal and physiological factors
Women’s hormone cycles (menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause/menopause) affect sleep quantity and quality. For example, fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone impact sleep architecture.
In sleep lab data, women entered REM sleep earlier than men and spent more time in non-REM sleep (a stage involved in recovery) — suggesting slightly different brain “work” overnight.
Review research points out that female biological sex and the gendered experience (childbearing, etc) affect timing, quantity and quality of sleep.
Multitasking & brain-load (invisible mental load)
One commentary frames it this way: “Women’s brains are wired differently… Women tend to multi-task — they do lots at once and are flexible — and so they use more of their actual brain than men do. Because of that, their sleep need will be slightly greater.”
The idea is that between paid work, household tasks, planning, caregiving, emotional labor and the “invisible mental load” (thinking about all the things) — women’s brains may accrue more daytime ‘wear’ and therefore need greater repair time during sleep.
Disrupted sleep / caregiving / social demands
Women are more likely than men to wake during the night to care for others (children, partner, elderly) — which fragments sleep and may increase the total need for recovery.
A study focusing on sleep quality in young adults found that female young adults had significantly higher odds of poor sleep quality (OR 1.53) than males, even after adjusting for depression, sociodemographics and lifestyle.
Another found that across the lifespan, women had more nighttime awakenings, especially in early- to mid-adulthood (which often coincides with child-raising).
Why this matters for busy moms
Given your a busy mom, manage a large household, and juggling family, work, gym and more –
It’s not just “you’re tired because you have kids” — science backs up the idea that women carry more sleep burden and need more recovery.
When you factor in pregnancy, postpartum recovery, possibly disrupted sleep around infants or toddlers, plus managing school-age kids — your sleep load is likely much greater than the simple 7-9 hour baseline.
The invisible mental load you carry (planning meals, managing home logistics, working, running around with your kids, managing appointments) means your brain is under continuous demand — and that increases need for quality sleep.
If sleep is fragmented (baby wakes, toddler bedtime battles, late night wor events), even if you’re in bed 8-9 hours, the recovery value of that sleep is diminished. So the “need more sleep” becomes even stronger.
What this means: practical suggestions for better sleep & recovery
Here are actionable take-aways you can use that are rooted in the science and your lived experience.
Aim for more than baseline. If the basic adult recommendation is 7-9 hours, busy moms may need slightly more to account for extra load (brain, hormones, interruptions).
Prioritise sleep quality as much as quantity. Fragmented sleep reduces recovery. Use strategies like consistent sleep/wake times, dark cool room, limiting screen time before bed.
Address the mental load before bed. Clear your brain. Use a “brain dump” of to-do’s or household items earlier in the evening so your mind isn’t churning when you’re trying to fall asleep.
Nap strategically. If overnight sleep is broken (infants/children), short naps can help supplement recovery. Some studies find women more likely to nap to compensate for disrupted nighttime sleep.
Tune into hormonal phases. Pregnancy, postpartum, menstruation and menopause all shift sleep needs and patterns. During those sensitive phases, allow extra recovery, reduce non-essential tasks and ask for help.
Create a sleep-friendly home environment. Since you are managing a big household, setting boundaries (kids off devices, partner shares childcare, designated “quiet zone” at night) is important
Why women feel so exhausted
Women’s brains are often operating in overdrive: managing household logistics, children (especially when you have multiple and large range of ages), work demands, relationships ect. Meanwhile, their bodies and brains are influenced by changing hormones (pregnancy, postpartum, menstrual cycle, etc) which affect sleep architecture and recovery needs. Add to that the fact that women more often wake during the night for caregiving, and you have a perfect storm of increased sleep need + fragmented sleep + brain overstimulation.
So it’s no wonder you wake up feeling like you’re running on fumes. It’s not just parenting fatigue — there’s a biological and psychological underpinning. Society may valorize “just pushing through,” but the research tells us: you may legitimately need more sleep, or more efficient/better‐quality sleep, than what the standard “7-9 hours” suggests.
