Women have the same levels of cortisol as men, but their stressresponse is triggered less by competitive failures and more by problems in their personal lives.
Dr Tom Mackay, a consultant respiratory physician at the Scottish National Sleep Centre at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, said the research showed sleep deprivation provoked a typical stressresponse in the body, characterised by raised cortisol and glucose levels.
The body's response to prolonged periods of stress is to secrete increasing amounts of cortisol, a hormone that marshals resources to cope with crises.