Women’s Sleep Disorders: Integrative Care

Abstract

The integrative care model is rooted in a biopsychosocial approach. Integrative is a term which refers to increasing the harmony and coherence of your whole being, and integrative care is therefore focused on the person, not on either the disease or a therapy. It is provided collaboratively by a health team comprising physicians, psychologists, physiotherapists, acupuncturists, and meditation, nutrition, and floral therapy. Previous studies have demonstrated that interventions based on the integrative care model improved womens lifestyle and quality of life. Our aim was to describe the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) alongside traditional medicine among women with sleep conditions in our Womens Sleep Disorders Integrative Treatment Outpatient Clinic. We are sharing our experiences and clinical practice as the model we developed seems to have both physical and psychological benefits for women with sleep problems. We discuss the wide range of benefits that result from this type of complex intervention, and the contextual factors that may influence these benefits. This will inform future practitioners and we hope to contribute to quantitative research in the clinical setting. The study highlights the importance of treating sleep complaints with a caring relationship and a CAM approach, alongside conventional medicine. Exploration of the lived experience of CAM and its meaning enables healthcare professionals to gain insights into the patients needs, preferences, and values. Gynecologists, clinicians, and health care providers should support and guide patients in their decision to use CAM by providing evidence-based and comprehensive advice on the potential benefits, risks and related safety issues of this approach.

Sleep problems in adults assisted in the Family Health Strategy

“…Furthermore, depressive and anxiety symptoms are more evident in females than in males, and some studies have indicated an association between mood symptoms and sleep problems in females [21][22] .…”

Yin yoga improves sleep quality more than Vinyasa yoga on female office workers with mild to moderate insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Working women often fall into chronic sleep disorders, even leading to other comorbid conditions without realizing it. 21 Unmarried female workers should also take into account their position as the backbone in terms of the financial and functional aspects of a family, especially when their parents are retired. 20 In women, the problem of subpar sleep quality has a pervasiveness of 47%, especially if they sleep for fewer than six hours per night.…”

“…22 Sleep disturbances and changes in sleep quality in women are related to the presence of estrogenic receptors in brain areas linked with sleep regulation. 21 These receptors translate the level of estrogen in a woman's body, which is positively correlated with better sleep quality than at higher levels of progesterone. Unfortunately, the younger the age group, the more susceptible to fluctuations in sleep quality that can interfere with estrogenic receptor function.…”

“…As many as 20% of younger women report excessive sleepiness, fatigue, or both, compared to middle-aged and elderly women. 21 Although hormonal oscillation is a physiological condition, disturbances in these receptors increase pain and increase vasomotor symptoms that can disrupt sleep and cause sleep deprivation. 24…”

Sleep Disturbance in Gynaecologic Malignancies-an Overview

“…It is evident that mood disorders and sleep disturbances are more prevalent in females (1.3 to 1.8 times more than men), 2 one may theorize that the prevalence of sleep disturbance in gynaecologic malignancies is greater than that of general population.…”