How Men And Women Dream Differently

We all sleep, as it's a vital part of the human life cycle. It turns out, however, that the way women sleep is completely different than the way men slumber. While women tend to get more sleep than men, they do so to compensate for reduced sleep quality, as women are more likely to experience sleep fragmentation, insomnia, and lower quality of sleep in general, according to the Sleep Foundation. To make matters worse, women also suffer from overactive bladder syndrome, which can cause frequent trips to the bathroom, which, in turn, causes their sleep to be disrupted, per Sleep.org.

Women's reproductive cycles also contribute to their sleep difficulties. The cramps, bloating, and headaches that approximately a third of women experience during their menstrual cycles can lead to discomfort and frequent trips to the bathroom, which can interfere with attaining quality sleep. Pregnancy and fetal movement, along with restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea, can also interfere with sleeping patterns. Then, later on in life, a woman's fluctuating hormonal levels and night sweats can raise the risk of sleep disturbances, according to Sleep.org.

The divide between men's and women's sleep is further steepened by the way in which they dream at night as well. Keep reading to learn about how men and women dream differently.

For approximately two hours every night, people have several dreams that last varying lengths, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. While men typically dream more of weapons, aggressive content, and physical activity, women dream more about references to clothing, rejection, exclusion, and tend to engage in more conversations than physical activity in their dreams, according to a study conducted by the University of California, Santa Cruz's department of psychology. 

Women also tend to have longer dreams that feature more characters. Unlike men, who dream more about other men, women dream about both sexes equally. Though both men and women dream about their jobs, men often dream of success, while women's dreams often involve the challenges of balancing their work with their lives at home.

Even the way women perceive their dreams is different, according to the HuffPost. In addition to remembering more details about their dreams, women are also more likely to record, share, and discuss their dreams with others in order to better understand and interpret them. As opposed to men, women also tend to research the deeper meaning behind their dreams. It seems like "a good night's sleep" mean very different things for men and women.