Feeling Tired All the Time?
The facts on sleep are exhausting: Most women get less than they should, and many factors – from hormones to sleep disorders – may be contributing to why you’re feeling tired all the time. Find out the top 5 reasons for fatigue and get 10 tips for better shut-eye…
Sleep is a basic human need, as important for good health as diet and exercise. Sleep lays the groundwork for a productive day ahead.
Although most adults need 7 to 9 hours of zzz’s each night to function well the next day, the average woman between the ages of 30 and 60
Although most adults need 7 to 9 hours of zzz’s each night to function well the next day, the average woman between the ages of 30 and 60
sleeps 6.9 hours per night during the work week.
Women are more likely than men to have a tough time falling and staying asleep and to experience daytime sleepiness at least a few times per week.
Women are more likely than men to have a tough time falling and staying asleep and to experience daytime sleepiness at least a few times per week.
Daytime sleepiness that interferes with daily activities isn’t normal. It may be a sign of sleep deprivation, a sleep disorder or a medical condition.
Both the quantity and quality of sleep are essential to optimum functioning.
Both the quantity and quality of sleep are essential to optimum functioning.
Continuous sleep is ideal, but for women it’s not uncommon to experience disruptions from a variety
of underlying causes:
of underlying causes:
- More women than men suffer from nighttime pain.
- Women are twice as likely to experience depression
- as men.
- Women are more prone to arthritis and headaches.
Biological conditions that are unique to women can affect how well they sleep too. That’s because the changing levels of hormones women experience throughout the month and over their lifetimes have an impact on sleep quality.
Your Monthly Cycle and Sleep
On average, women report disrupted sleep for 2 to 3 days during each menstrual cycle. These changes can be linked to the rise and fall of hormone levels in the body.
The hormone progesterone, which rises after ovulation, may cause some women to feel sleepy or fatigued.
But poor-quality sleep is more likely at the beginning of the menstrual cycle, when bleeding starts.
During the last part of the monthly cycle, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms may occur. The bloating, headaches, moodiness, irritability and abdominal cramps associated with PMS may contribute to difficulty sleeping.
Your Monthly Cycle and Sleep
On average, women report disrupted sleep for 2 to 3 days during each menstrual cycle. These changes can be linked to the rise and fall of hormone levels in the body.
The hormone progesterone, which rises after ovulation, may cause some women to feel sleepy or fatigued.
But poor-quality sleep is more likely at the beginning of the menstrual cycle, when bleeding starts.
During the last part of the monthly cycle, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms may occur. The bloating, headaches, moodiness, irritability and abdominal cramps associated with PMS may contribute to difficulty sleeping.
The most common sleep-related problems reported by women with PMS are insomnia, hypersomnia (sleeping too much) and daytime sleepiness.
Insomnia can include difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, waking up too early and/or unrefreshing sleep.
Pregnancy and Sleep
Physical symptoms that occur during pregnancy — body aches, nausea, leg cramps, fetal movements, weight gain and heartburn — as well as emotional changes like depression and anxiety can interfere with sleep.
Overall, women have a lower quality of sleep during the last trimester of pregnancy. Progesterone levels also rise during pregnancy, increasing feelings of sleepiness.
Heartburn, leg cramps and sinus congestion are common reasons for disturbed sleep, as is an increased need to urinate from the fetus putting pressure on the bladder.
Mothers of newborns experience a lot of postpartum sleeplessness and daytime sleepiness, which may contribute to the postpartum blues some experience.
Women who’ve never snored before may begin doing so during pregnancy. About 15% to 30% of pregnant women snore due to pregnancy-related weight gain and increased swelling in the nasal passages, which may partially block the airways.
If the blockage is severe, sleep apnea may result, characterized by loud snoring and periods of stopped breathing during sleep. The lack of oxygen disrupts sleep and may affect the unborn fetus. If loud snoring and severe daytime sleepiness (another symptom of sleep apnea and other sleep disorders) occur, consult your physician.
Snoring may also lead to high blood pressure, which can put both mother and fetus at risk.
As many as one-quarter of pregnant women develop symptoms of restless leg syndrome, which may be due to lower levels of folic acid, anemia or other unknown factors.
Menopause and Sleep
Menopause is a time of major hormonal, physical and psychological changes for women.
From perimenopause — the transition phase into menopause — to postmenopause, women report a marked increase in sleeping problems. Most notable are:
Hot flashes may interrupt sleep and frequent awakenings can cause next-day fatigue.
Generally, postmenopausal women are less satisfied with their sleep than premenopausal women; as many as 61% of postmenopausal women report insomnia symptoms.
Snoring is more common after menopause. Snoring, along with pauses in breathing or gasps for air while sleeping, are signs of a more serious sleep disorder — obstructive sleep apnea.
The 5 Most Common Sleep Disorders in Women
1. Insomnia
Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint. At least one-third of American adults say they have it occasionally and 10% to 15% experience insomnia on a chronic basis.
Women are more likely than men to:
Although women generally sleep longer than men, more women than men rate the quality of their sleep as fair or poor, according to National Sleep Foundation (NSF) polls.
Insomnia can be short-term when it’s linked to a current crisis, such as the loss of a job or a loved one, a traumatic event or another situation that causes stress or anxiety.
Women often experience a great deal of stress, and sometimes even depression and anxiety, along with the physical discomfort from biological changes that occur before and during menstruation, pregnancy and menopause.
When a bout of short-term insomnia occurs, women should take care not to develop poor sleep habits or attitudes that will contribute to creating a long-term problem with insomnia.
Chronic insomnia is a sleeping disorder that happens three or more nights per week for a month or longer and results in serious daytime impairment.
Effective medications for insomnia are available; talk to your doctor about a combination of behavioral changes and medication if you’re not finding relief.
2. Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening breathing disorder that affects 18 million adults in America.
Insomnia can include difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, waking up too early and/or unrefreshing sleep.
Pregnancy and Sleep
Physical symptoms that occur during pregnancy — body aches, nausea, leg cramps, fetal movements, weight gain and heartburn — as well as emotional changes like depression and anxiety can interfere with sleep.
Overall, women have a lower quality of sleep during the last trimester of pregnancy. Progesterone levels also rise during pregnancy, increasing feelings of sleepiness.
Heartburn, leg cramps and sinus congestion are common reasons for disturbed sleep, as is an increased need to urinate from the fetus putting pressure on the bladder.
Mothers of newborns experience a lot of postpartum sleeplessness and daytime sleepiness, which may contribute to the postpartum blues some experience.
Women who’ve never snored before may begin doing so during pregnancy. About 15% to 30% of pregnant women snore due to pregnancy-related weight gain and increased swelling in the nasal passages, which may partially block the airways.
If the blockage is severe, sleep apnea may result, characterized by loud snoring and periods of stopped breathing during sleep. The lack of oxygen disrupts sleep and may affect the unborn fetus. If loud snoring and severe daytime sleepiness (another symptom of sleep apnea and other sleep disorders) occur, consult your physician.
Snoring may also lead to high blood pressure, which can put both mother and fetus at risk.
As many as one-quarter of pregnant women develop symptoms of restless leg syndrome, which may be due to lower levels of folic acid, anemia or other unknown factors.
Menopause and Sleep
Menopause is a time of major hormonal, physical and psychological changes for women.
From perimenopause — the transition phase into menopause — to postmenopause, women report a marked increase in sleeping problems. Most notable are:
- hot flashes
- insomnia
- sleep-disordered breathing
Hot flashes may interrupt sleep and frequent awakenings can cause next-day fatigue.
Generally, postmenopausal women are less satisfied with their sleep than premenopausal women; as many as 61% of postmenopausal women report insomnia symptoms.
Snoring is more common after menopause. Snoring, along with pauses in breathing or gasps for air while sleeping, are signs of a more serious sleep disorder — obstructive sleep apnea.
1. Insomnia
Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint. At least one-third of American adults say they have it occasionally and 10% to 15% experience insomnia on a chronic basis.
Women are more likely than men to:
- have difficulty falling asleep
- experience frequent awakenings
- wake too early
- be unable to fall back to sleep
- experience unrefreshing sleep
Although women generally sleep longer than men, more women than men rate the quality of their sleep as fair or poor, according to National Sleep Foundation (NSF) polls.
Insomnia can be short-term when it’s linked to a current crisis, such as the loss of a job or a loved one, a traumatic event or another situation that causes stress or anxiety.
When a bout of short-term insomnia occurs, women should take care not to develop poor sleep habits or attitudes that will contribute to creating a long-term problem with insomnia.
Chronic insomnia is a sleeping disorder that happens three or more nights per week for a month or longer and results in serious daytime impairment.
Effective medications for insomnia are available; talk to your doctor about a combination of behavioral changes and medication if you’re not finding relief.
2. Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening breathing disorder that affects 18 million adults in America.
Women are more likely to experience symptoms of sleep apnea as they age. In general, sleep apnea is associated with increased blood pressure, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Physicians may overlook sleep apnea in women because women with this condition can have different symptoms than men. For example, women with sleep apnea are more likely to have depression and insomnia, less likely to have been told that they stop breathing during sleep and more likely to have thyroid disease than men.
Sufferers often experience sleep apnea as partial or full obstruction of air flow through the airway as often as 10 times an hour and throughout the night, leading to pauses in breathing and frequent arousal from sleep.
The Signs of Sleep Apnea
Recent studies have found that women are less likely to be diagnosed with sleep apnea, but do better with treatment.
The most effective treatment for sleep apnea is the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine that forces air through a mask attached to the nose so the patient can breathe well and prevent arousals and disrupted sleep.
3. Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological movement disorder that affects as many as 12 million Americans. It’s characterized by uncomfortable, unpleasant leg sensations associated with an urge to move that occur while the body is at rest. The symptoms are worse at night.
Because the unpleasant feelings occur at rest and are relieved by movement, RLS sufferers have difficulty sleeping. RLS may lead to daytime sleepiness, mood swings, anxiety and depression.
RLS is associated with iron-deficiency anemia, pregnancy or diabetes. Up to 15% of pregnant women develop RLS during their third trimester.
RLS may include the following symptoms:
Medications are available to treat RLS. Women with this disorder should avoid alcohol, nicotine and caffeine.
A healthy diet and moderate exercise can also be helpful.
About 80% of RLS sufferers may also experience periodic limb movements — jerking or kicking the legs, and sometimes the arms, while sleeping.
Although this can be very disturbing to your bed partner, limb movements are common in all sleep disorders. They also occur with many medications and with disrupted sleep in general. Limb movements alone don’t require treatment.
4. Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the region of the central nervous system that regulates sleep and wakefulness. It affects approximately one in 2,000 people.
People with narcolepsy experience excessive daytime sleepiness and have involuntary sleep attacks at inappropriate times – for example, while having dinner, talking, driving or working.
Narcolepsy symptoms, which frequently appear in the teen years, include the following:
Physicians may overlook sleep apnea in women because women with this condition can have different symptoms than men. For example, women with sleep apnea are more likely to have depression and insomnia, less likely to have been told that they stop breathing during sleep and more likely to have thyroid disease than men.
Sufferers often experience sleep apnea as partial or full obstruction of air flow through the airway as often as 10 times an hour and throughout the night, leading to pauses in breathing and frequent arousal from sleep.
The Signs of Sleep Apnea
- Loud, regular snoring
- Pauses or interruptions of air flow during sleep and loss of oxygen
- Repeated arousals, often unnoticed or appearing as snorts or gasps for air, during sleep
- Falling asleep at inappropriate times during the day, such as while driving, working or talking
- Learning and memory difficulties
- Early-morning headaches
- Depression
- Irritability
- Sexual dysfunction
Recent studies have found that women are less likely to be diagnosed with sleep apnea, but do better with treatment.
The most effective treatment for sleep apnea is the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine that forces air through a mask attached to the nose so the patient can breathe well and prevent arousals and disrupted sleep.
3. Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological movement disorder that affects as many as 12 million Americans. It’s characterized by uncomfortable, unpleasant leg sensations associated with an urge to move that occur while the body is at rest. The symptoms are worse at night.
Because the unpleasant feelings occur at rest and are relieved by movement, RLS sufferers have difficulty sleeping. RLS may lead to daytime sleepiness, mood swings, anxiety and depression.
RLS is associated with iron-deficiency anemia, pregnancy or diabetes. Up to 15% of pregnant women develop RLS during their third trimester.
RLS may include the following symptoms:
- The urge to move the legs, which is often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations in the foot, calf or upper leg; these sensations are usually described as a creeping or crawling feeling and may be experienced as a tingling, cramping or a burning sensation.
- The need to move the legs to relieve the discomfort by stretching, bending or rubbing the legs, tossing or turning in bed or getting up and pacing the floor
- A tendency to experience the most discomfort late in the day and at night
- Continuous nighttime sleep disruption
- Daytime fatigue
Medications are available to treat RLS. Women with this disorder should avoid alcohol, nicotine and caffeine.
A healthy diet and moderate exercise can also be helpful.
About 80% of RLS sufferers may also experience periodic limb movements — jerking or kicking the legs, and sometimes the arms, while sleeping.
Although this can be very disturbing to your bed partner, limb movements are common in all sleep disorders. They also occur with many medications and with disrupted sleep in general. Limb movements alone don’t require treatment.
4. Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the region of the central nervous system that regulates sleep and wakefulness. It affects approximately one in 2,000 people.
People with narcolepsy experience excessive daytime sleepiness and have involuntary sleep attacks at inappropriate times – for example, while having dinner, talking, driving or working.
Narcolepsy symptoms, which frequently appear in the teen years, include the following:
6 Narcolepsy Symptoms
- Sudden episodes of loss of muscle tone in response to an intense Recent scientific breakthroughs have led to new understanding of the causes of narcolepsy and new treatments have given doctors more ways to help manage symptoms. motion such as laughter or anger, what’s called cataplexy. The loss may range from slight weakness, such as limpness at the neck or knees, sagging facial muscles or an inability to speak clearly, to complete body collapse.6 Narcolepsy Symptoms
- Sudden episodes of loss of muscle tone in response to an intense emotion such as laughter or anger, what’s called cataplexy. The loss may range from slight weakness, such as limpness at the neck or knees, sagging facial muscles or an inability to speak clearly, to complete body collapse.
- Inability to talk or move when falling asleep or waking up
- Vivid, often unpleasant, dream-like experiences that occur while dozing or falling asleep
- Disrupted nighttime sleep with frequent awakenings
- Performance of routine tasks with little awareness or memory of what was done
- Learning and memory difficulties
- Inability to talk or move when falling asleep or waking up
- Vivid, often unpleasant, dream-like experiences that occur while dozing or falling asleep
- Disrupted nighttime sleep with frequent awakenings
- Performance of routine tasks with little awareness or memory of what was done
- Learning and memory difficulties
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