From late-night chores to early alarms, Indian women’s sleep is sacrificed for the family’s routine. One of the starkest findings is the gap between men and women. According to the report, working women in India sleep about 10 minutes less per day than working men and get fewer continuous hours of sleep at night. Their average nighttime rest is under eight hours, while men manage about 20 minutes more. The reason? Women juggle the notorious “double shift”: paid work followed by household duties. Interrupted sleep, late-night chores, and early wake-ups are routine for them. While they sleep less at night compared to men in the family, they compensate with daytime naps, pushing their total daily rest beyond nine hours. But experts stress that fragmented sleep is less restorative than a solid block of night’s sleep. 7–9 hours of sleep for adults. Yet, fewer than half of Indian women in their 20s and 30s meet this benchmark. Men fare better with over 60 per cent across age groups crossing the eight-hour mark. The 2024 survey underscores how sleep deprivation is most acute during prime working and child-rearing years. For women in their 30s, sleep dips to about 7.6 hours daily. Men hit their lowest point in their 40s, but still hover around eight hours. Sleep quality matters as much as duration. About 1.5 per cent of respondents reported disruptions such as tending to children, preparing meals, or late-night eating. For women, childcare at night was a leading cause, part of what researchers call a “fourth shift”. Such interruptions may not sound huge, but they can compound health risks like diabetes, heart disease, and depression.
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managing sleep and challenges for night shift workerssleep and healthsleep and stress managementSleep Disorders
Double Shift Half The Sleep India Women Lose Rest To Unpaid Work
