Sleep Increases Life Expectancy in Women
Compared with men, women are more prone to sleep disorders. Sleeping problems are more prominent in middle aged and in older women. Younger women usually have fewer sleep disorders. However, some women experience sleep disorders throughout the childbearing age. Poor sleep is one of the major causes of physical and emotional problems in women.
Causes of sleeping problem in women
Several factors might reduce a woman’s ability to fall asleep and enjoy a sound sleep for a long time. While underlying illnesses, emotional stress, improper sleeping environment and unhealthy lifestyle are linked to sleep disorders, hormonal imbalance is believed to be the major factor associated with poor sleep in women. Sleeping difficulties and insomnia are often associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). For some unknown reasons, hormonal fluctuations that occur in the period between ovulation and menstrual bleeding cause sleeping problems. Premenstrual sleep disturbance is characterized by difficulty in falling asleep, difficulty in staying asleep for a long time, waking up in the night and daytime drowsiness. Sleeping problems are common in pregnant women. Women trying to balance their roles as mothers, wives and professionals might not get enough sleep. Fluctuations in the estrogen levels during perimenopause and menopause cause night sweats, which disturb sleep. Sleep apnea that largely affects older women, above 50, causes sleep disorders. Women suffering from restless legs syndrome and excessive daytime sleepiness or narcolepsy do not get enough sleep in the night.
Enough sleep increases longevity in women
Poor sleep is extremely harmful for women. According to studies, poor sleep harms women more than men. Sleep disorders reduces the life expectancy of women. In a study, researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found that poor sleep significantly increases the levels of biomarkers linked to cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes in women. Compared with men, women with sleeping disorders have higher levels of depression, anger, hostility and psychological distress. It also increases the levels of pro-inflammatory enzymes. In a recent study, researchers at the San Diego School of Medicine have found that women who enjoy sound sleep for 5 to 6 ½ hours every night live longer than women who sleep for less than five hours.