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Gay Men Have More Trouble Falling Asleep, Researchers Say

Long term lack of sleep has been linked to weight gain, poor heart health and depression.

Gay men are more likely to have problems getting to sleep, a new study finds.

Researchers at the National Center for Health Statistics surveyed more than 100,000 men and women.

couple photo shoot with two male models in a nice flat

Participants' sleep habits were tracked over a period of two years and compared them to the National Sleep Foundation's recommendations of seven-to-nine hours for adults 18 to 64 and seven-to-eight hours for over 65.

The study, published in Sleep Health, found that overall LGBT people had more trouble achieving quality sleep than their heterosexual peers: Gay men encountered more problems falling asleep, while lesbians were more likely to report wake up during the night or feeling groggy in the morning.

Bisexual women were at the bottom of the barrel in terms of both quality sleep and feeling well-rested the next day. Researchers also found that gay men were most likely to use medication to help them fall sleep.

The study, authored by the University of Leeds' Laura Hardie, postulated that the increased likelihood of smoking and mental health issues among LGBT people contributed to their poor sleep habits. Understanding other factors could "provide an understanding of how to assist in improving overall health among sexual minority groups.”

Long term lack of sleep has been linked to weight gain, poor heart health and depression.

Brent Stirton/Getty Images for the GBC

BEIJING - NOVEMBER 18: Two gay men relax in a bedroom November 18, 2004 in Beijing. The man with his head turned away works as a male prostitute. He is from a rural area with no education, unable to even sign his name. As a result he works as a prostitute, which offers better economic rewards than manual labor. He cannot read any literature warning him of the dangers of his profession and because he operates in secret in a taboo social sector he is in a very high risk group for contracting the HIV virus. Until as recently as 2001, being a homosexual in China was often treated as a psychological illness and resulted in persecution, stigmatization and even imprisonment. As a result of public stigma, very few men are openly gay in China. This has resulted in less openness about HIV and less sharing of information about the disease, leaving China's gay male population more at risk. Gett...

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