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Why women have trouble sleeping and strategies to sleep better

Suffering a
sleep deficit?
Michele Thompson, MS

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Drained of energy and deprived of sleep? Not getting enough rest decreases your quality of life and increases your health risks. Read on to learn why women don’t get enough shut-eye and how non-prescription sleep strategies can help.

Woman with Insomnia

Hormones wreak havoc on women’s slumber

According to Dr Carol Ash, medical director of Sleep for Life in Hillsborough, New Jersey, there are several reasons women are deprived of sound sleep.

“One [reason] is biological – the hormonal shifts and physical changes [throughout a woman’s life] can interrupt natural patterns of sleep,” she explains. “Pregnancy makes sleep difficult, especially in advanced stages when it's difficult to find a comfortable sleep position.”

Once the baby is born, Dr Ash says women continue to struggle with sleep because of the baby needing to be fed, suffering from colic, or teething in the middle of the night. And the sleepless nights don’t stop there. “Later in life, [menopausal] women experience hot flashes and night sweats,” she adds.

Get older and get less sleep

Though sleepless women largely outnumber sleepless men, Dr Ash says both genders have a harder time getting to sleep as they get older. “Just as eyesight or hearing begin to fail, the delicate mechanism in the brain and body that triggers and sustains sleep also begins to deteriorate,” she explains.

However, if you are thinking sleeping pills are an easy answer, think again. “I advise patients to first take a close look at their habits and if they are doing things during the day that will promote sleep at night,” adds Dr Ash. She also suggests making sure there isn’t a psychological issue at hand that is causing anxiety or stress.

Women are tireless – but tired

How often do you stay up late packing school lunches, doing the ironing, or paying the bills because you think you won’t have time the next day?

Your tireless quest to “take care of everything” could be robbing you of the precious sleep you need – and deserve – to stop feeling chronically exhausted.

“Another reason that women don't get enough sleep is that they are jugglers, always trying to fit in another load of laundry or a bit more work before they go to bed. They don't give themselves enough time to sleep and enough time to unwind before sleep,” says Dr Ash.

While you may be succeeding at being Super Woman or Super Mom, you are super sacrificing the quantity as well as quality of the sleep your mind and body absolutely need.

Next page…health risks of not getting enough sleep and strategies to get more

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Michele Thompson, MS, food and health editor for www.SheKnows.com and www.ChefMom.com, is a health and wellness expert, personal chef, and freelance writer specializing in food and fitness in Bozeman, Montana. You can reach her at michele.thompson@sheknows.com.
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Comments
By Tova Greenberg Jun 15, 2009

Beth What you need to do is re-program your biological sleep clock which your stress has misaligned. To avoid taking pills - chemical or homeopathic you should try a solution that has been around for more than 50 years and is proven science. It's called CES (cranial electrotherapy stimulation). In Canada this technology can be found in The Sleep Genie http://www.thesleepgenie. Read all about it and you will discover why it is the only real and proven way to correct your sleep problems once and for all. Good luck.

By Beth Nov 24, 2008

In response to strategy #7 - Manage Your Stress - I've noticed the huge effect that stress can have on sleep first hand. The challenge I face too often is the replaying of stressful situations in my head when I should be falling asleep. Besides facing these things personally, I also work with a company that looks to help people with these types of sleep challenges. There's a new site that provides a Sleep Diary created for people looking to log their sleep habits. The best part about the Sleep Diary is that it actually gives feedback on various ways to improve on your own personal sleep. The site is: IDreamOfSleep. I hope this helps others like me who tend to let stress get in the way of a good night's sleep.

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