Women are more likely to have sleep disorders compared to men, a new study suggests.

The finding reveals that women experience excessive daytime sleepiness, severe symptoms of depression, trouble sleeping at night, a higher level of difficulty concentrating, and poor memory caused by tiredness and sleepiness. For men, they are more likely to snore forcing their bed partners to transfer to different rooms.

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The Australian research team conducted a survey regarding the historical clinical records of 744 patients who took sleep-related health care of 7 private general practices in Australia starting April 2013 until January 2015. Patients answered different types of sleep-related questionnaires, like the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire 10, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Snoring Severity Scale (SSS).

Dr. John Malouf, the co-author of the study and the founder of the SleepGP sleep clinic in Coolangatta, Queensland, Australia, said that women are commonly associated with daytime sleepiness. Because of this, they frequently experienced the burden due to their symptoms.

The lead author of the study and a research associate at SleepGP clinic, Allegra Boccabella, also said that symptoms notably differed from both men and women, though both groups presented similar age. The goal of the study is to identify the variations in performance status of both sexes when presented to primary care providers with sleep problems.

Identifying the differences in the reported symptoms between women and men could help medical professionals in managing sleep disorders holistically. Understanding on how their lives are being affected can also help doctors in producing better outcomes for patients, Boccabella noted.

The results of the study are published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.