A genderwise comparison of sleep habits of a sample adult population of Kathmandu

Introduction: A consolidated sleep of 7-9 hours has recuperative effect and improves cognitive function. Relating to their differences in sociodemograpic roles and physiological responses, men and women have different sleep characteristics. Gender differences in Nepalese population has not been reported. The knowledge could be helpful in addressing their sleep disorders. Materials and methods: Sleep-related information was collected by means of questionnaires from randomly selected adults visiting a blood donation center in Kathmandu. Results: Complete response was obtained from 442 participants - 317 males and 125 females, with comparable mean age. Most (83.26%) participants had 7-9 hours of sleep. Women went to bed earlier (9.43 pm ±57 min vs 10.05 pm ±77 min in men, p=0.006) as well as woke up earlier (5.37 am ±48 min vs 6.04 am ±91 min in men, p<0.001). Total duration of sleep was comparable between the groups (nearly 8 hours ±1 hour). Age correlated inversely with sleep duration in men (p=0.003) but not in women. Conclusions: Most participants have adequate sleep duration. Women go to bed earlier and wake up earlier than men, but have about equal duration of sleep.