About this episode

This episode explores the differences in sleep between genders and the impact of gender identity on sleep and mental health with Dr. Lieve van Egmond.

Sleep is something we all need - but do women and men actually sleep differently? And what happens when we move beyond biological sex to consider gender roles and identity? In this episode we welcome Dr. Lieve van Egmond, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Tübingen. Lieve’s work explores how sleep, mental well-being and hormones interact, with a special focus on transgender individuals. From the basics of why sleep is essential for mental health, to state-of-the-art research on sex differences, hormonal transitions, and gender diversity, this conversation takes you from foundational science to the future of inclusive sleep research. We discuss why “sex” alone is not enough to understand sleep and mental health, where current research still falls short, and how new studies are opening up perspectives that have long been overlooked. Along the way, Lieve also shares, what frustrates her about the current state of the field, what motivates her as a scientist, and why science communication is key to improving both healthcare and quality of life of all individuals. If you would like to get in touch with…

People in this episode

Host: Franziska Weinmar

Guest: Dr. Lieve van Egmond

Topics covered

• sleep
• gender roles
• mental health
• transgender individuals
• inclusive research

Keywords

• sleep
• gender
• mental well-being
• hormones
• transgender
• inclusive research
• sex differences

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Tübingen, LinkedIn, Medizin Uni Tübingen

More episodes of Let's Talk About Women

• Let's Talk About Research on Moral Decision-Making · April 23, 2026 · 1h 6m
• Let's Talk With Young Researchers: Iris Hamers · February 26, 2026 · 52 min
• Let's Talk With Young Researchers: Livia Ruehr · December 18, 2025 · 57 min
• Let's Talk About Fetal Development · November 20, 2025 · 48 min
• Let's Talk With Young Researchers: Romina Garcia de leon · October 16, 2025 · 46 min
• Let's Talk About Metabolism · July 17, 2025 · 51 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Let's Talk About Women podcast page.