Do you remember going out to a nightclub, party or pub in your late teens and twenties, getting home late – or more so early in the morning – and still being bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for class or work in the morning? Back in the day, and for many of us, sleep was never a problem. Some of us have even fallen asleep whilst out partying with our friends and with music blaring. However, and as you get older, sleep can start to become more elusive and more of an effort to achieve on a regular basis.

To some degree, and at various points of your life, you may have experienced insomnia, which according to the Mayo Clinic, “is a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep, or cause you to wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep”. Most adults have had short-term (acute) insomnia, which lasts for days or weeks, and is usually the result of stress or a traumatic event, and soon resolves itself. However, insomnia can also be chronic or long-term, meaning that an individual has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at least three nights per week for at least three months.

 

Insomnia Is More Common In Women

Insomnia tends to be more prevalent among women. Meta-analysis conducted by a group of Chinese universities has suggested that women are 58% more likely to experience insomnia than men. Further, and according to the National Sleep Foundation in the United States of America, “up to 67% of women said that they had a sleeping problem at least a few nights during the past month, and 46% had problems almost every night”.

Currently, the science does not appear to have definitively answered the question, “why do more females than males suffer with insomnia?” However, a variety of external and internal factors can have an impact on sleep, and for women, this impact can be felt from childhood all the way to post-menopause.

 

The Impact Of Anxiety And Stress On Sleep

As was highlighted in our article, The Many Faces (And Hidden Truths) Of Stress, trouble sleeping can be one of the symptoms of stress, which even could be evident in babies. In women, and due to the broad range of responsibilities they tend to have – both within and outside the home – they are more likely to be stressed. Moreover, women tend to be more susceptible to mood disorders and mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression, which can exacerbate existing sleep-related challenges, and lead to insomnia.

 

The Impact Of Hormones On Sleep

Although we tend to view hormones, such as oestrogen and progesterone, only as essential for our sexual and reproductive functions, they also play an important role in our ability to sleep, or ease with which we fall and stay asleep. However, oestrogen and progesterone change over the course of a woman’s life, such as during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and perimenopause, and studies have shown that insomnia, or other sleep-related problems, tend to overlap with these phases of life.  

For mensurating girls and women, and in the days leading up to their monthly period, progesterone levels drop. Hence, in addition to experiencing premenstrual syndrome (PMS) of varying degrees of severity, sleep can be affected. After their monthly period, progesterone levels rise again, and sleep would improve.

During pregnancy, both oestrogen and progesterone levels rise considerably during the first trimester, and frequently lead to being more fatigued or sleepier than usual. However, as the pregnancy progresses, and more so in the third trimester, the quality and quantity of sleep tends to be adversely affected. Postpartum, that is after the baby is born, sleep does not necessarily improve, as caring for a new-born is challenging. However, and based on the findings of a 2015 longitudinal study on maternal sleep problems, at 8 weeks and two years postpartum, 60% and 41% of respondents, respectively, were still experiencing insomnia.

 

Perimenopause And Sleep

Perimenopause, the period in which the female body transitions to menopause, is a time when a lot of women experience insomnia. Perimenopause usually starts in a woman’s early-to-mid 40s, but in some instances can start in a woman’s 30s, and can last between eight and 10 years. During this period, oestrogen and progesterone fluctuate wildly, and frequently reported symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats and insomnia. Nearly 50% of perimenopausal women experience recurrent bouts of insomnia, but it can be overshadowed by some of the other more recognised symptoms of menopause.

 

Getting Better Sleep

The very first step to treating insomnia is to prioritise sleep and implementing healthy sleep habits or hygiene. For women, and in the instances in which insomnia is being triggered by hormonal issues, possible remedies may need to be determined on a case-by-case basis, and may not eradicate it completely. Nevertheless, here are some ways you can improve your sleep hygiene:

• Cutting back on caffeine, which can be found in coffee, tea, sodas and chocolate, especially at night.
• Avoiding large meals and alcohol just before bed.
• Quitting smoking.
• Going outdoors in the sun, in order to regulate your circadian rhythm
• Being physically active during the day.
• Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, even on the weekends.
• Avoiding or limiting naps.
• Putting away smartphones, TVs, laptops or other screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Turning your bedroom into a cosy sanctuary, in which only sex and sleep are allowed.
• Checking your medications to see if they may contribute to insomnia.
• Having a relaxing pre-sleep routine, such as meditating, listening to music, to help you wind down.

 

To close and all too often, chronic insomnia can be insidious. It is not readily recognised for what it is: a debilitating disorder that can have a long-term impact on your overall health. More importantly, we women tend to minimise it, saying things like, “I’m not sleeping very well these days,”  so we suffer in silence, and not seek the help needed to treat insomnia, or at the very least, to better manage it.

 

 

Image: Kate Stone Matheson (Unsplash)