Sleep in Women Across the Life Span

Abstract

There are many ways in which women experience sleep differently from men. Women contending with distinct sleep challenges respond differently to sleep disorders, as well as sleep deprivation and deficiency, and face particular health outcomes as a result of poor sleep. Idiosyncrasies, including changes that occur with the biological life cycles of menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, make the understanding of sleep in women an important topic to study. Each phase of a woman's life, from childhood to menopause, increases the risk of sleep disturbance in unique ways that may require distinct management. Indeed, new research is unraveling novel aspects of sleep pathology in women and the fundamental role that sex hormones play in influencing sleep regulation and arousals and possibly outcomes of sleep conditions. Moreover, studies indicate that during times of hormonal change, women are at an increased risk for sleep disturbances such as poor sleep quality and sleep deprivation, as well as sleep disorders such as OSA, restless legs syndrome, and insomnia. This article reviews sleep changes in female subjects from neonatal life to menopause.

Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Blood Glucose, Food Cravings, and Affect in a Non-Diabetic: An N-of-1 Randomized Pilot Study

“…She did not have a sleeping partner or dependent and, therefore, was solely responsible for her own sleep, nutrition, and schedule. KW had normal menses, no menses during the trial, and self-reported no history of interaction between sleep quality and menstrual cycle phases [31,32]. Hence, we did not record whether or when she menstruated during the intervention period.…”

A prediction model of sleep disturbances among female nurses by using the BP‐ANN

“…Sleep disturbances and fatigue are prevalent among healthcare providers, which might result from stressful workload and rotating shifts (Gao et al, ; Korsiak, Tranmer, Leung, Borghese, & Aronson, ). Research has revealed that women report more sleep problems than men (Brown, Gallicchio, Flaws, & Tracy, ; Jones, Zak, & Lee, ; Pengo, Won, & Bourjeily, ). Female shift workers have been found to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes (Li et al, ; Pan, Schernhammer, Sun, & Hu, ), breast cancer (Grundy et al, ; Travis et al, ) and coronary heart disease (Vetter et al, ).…”

Sleep Pharmacotherapy for Common Sleep Disorders in Pregnancy and Lactation

“…4 Anatomical and physiological factors such as ligament stretching, uterine contractions, or fetal movement result in sleep disruption and sleep fragmentation. 5 The respiratory system undergoes significant physiological changes that may influence breathing during sleep; namely, functional residual capacity is reduced in late pregnancy, with more pronounced reductions in the supine position. The rise in reproductive hormone levels and the increase in plasma volume and interstitial volume may lead to upper airway edema and nasal congestion.…”