Women's Sleep Problems Spill Over into the Day
Not Enough Good Sleep Can Really Ruin Your Day and Your Health
Jun 1, 2009
According to the US National Sleep Foundation, approximately one in every two women reports some difficulties with getting to sleep or staying asleep.
A woman’s sleep is influenced by her menstrual cycle, biological life stage, stress levels, health, mood, parental status, work hours and many other life responsibilities.
Insomnia is a Serious Medical Condition
The National Sleep Foundation says insomnia can be a serious medical condition.
Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, having difficulty staying asleep, waking up often during the night and then having trouble going back to sleep, waking up too early in the morning, or feeling tired upon awakening.
What’s more, the resulting “woolly headed” feeling the day after a poor night’s sleep means it’s hard to concentrate at work, driving or at home.
Continuous patterns of sleep deprivation can result in decreased work performance, depression or mood changes, and increased risk of car crashes.
Sleeplessness Makes You Woolly Headed
That woolly headed feeling is real!
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health have shown that fruit flies deprived of sleep develop clusters of protein that clog the synapses in the brain, making it difficult for the neurons to communicate with one another.
Well-rested brains have much lower levels of these clogging proteins, enabling the synapses to communicate and the brain to function and learn new things.
Since fruit flies share 99 per cent of the same genes as humans, and all animals need sleep, they say it is likely woolly protein clusters develop in the brains of insomniac humans.
Simple Steps to a Good Night’s Sleep
“Women’s lack of sleep affects nearly every aspect of their time-pressed lives, leaving them late for work, stressed out, tired and with little time for friends, ” says Raul Noriega, manager of the Comprehensive Epilepsy and Sleep Disorders Center at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine, Texas.
Dr Noriega says four simple steps will help women (and their families) get better quality sleep.
- Avoid the Caffeine Jolt: tea, coffee or caffeinated drinks are best avoided for at least six hours before going to bed. “People drink coffee at night and stay up late watching TV or surfing the net. Then they need a jolt at 6 a.m. to get started for the day,” Dr Noriega says. “Eventually, that takes a toll on the body. Remember, caffeine is a stimulant, so refrain from drinking it at least six hours before bed.”
- Don’t Stress Out: find ways to divert your mind from your everyday worries before you go to bed. When they get to bed, women tend to lie awake worrying, he says. “They start thinking about what they forgot to do, about the kids, work deadlines, unpaid bills, the stock market.” Brisk exercise early in the evening can help, or an absorbing hobby.
- Keep Your Cool: body temperature lowers about one degree during sleep. Avoid exercising too close to bedtime, Dr Noriega cautions, as it will take three hours to cool down enough tor sleep. Too many blankets, or the electric blanket set too high could keep you too warm to sleep. On a hot night, have a cool shower before going to bed.
- Create a Sleep Routine: Developing good sleep hygiene can help you avoid relying on medication, he says. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. A bedtime ritual also helps. Thirty minutes before bed turn off loud music, make the atmosphere calm, dim the lights, take a warm or cool shower. Then, read in bed for a maximum of 15 minutes, turn off the lights, close your eyes and relax.
See also: Daily Nap Helps Heart, Memory
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