Don't snooze? You lose

A year-long investigation by the UK's National Sleep Foundation (NSF) into the sleeping habits of more than 2,000 women aged from 18 to 64 has found that almost two-thirds had between one and three disturbed nights every week. Almost 70 percent said they frequently experience a sleep problem. This compares to 52 percent of men who say they suffer insomnia a few nights a week or more.

The study reflects research in a new book by the founder of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Dr Meir Kryger, author of Can't Sleep, Can't Stay Awake: A Woman's Guide To Sleep Disorders. "Unlike men, women have sleep problems related to hormonal and bodily changes from menstruation, pregnancy and menopause," he says.

"Unfortunately, too often it is women whose sleep disorders are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed because of a lack of education among doctors about these unique problems. This failure by doctors to correctly diagnose female sleeplessness means sufferers are putting their health at risk while contributing to dramatic rises in obesity and diabetes.

"Women lose sleep because of their role in the family and the demands of today's world," he adds.

Kryger says that women's disorders are often missed because, although they have the same sleep disorders as men, the way they react to sleeplessness is very different. "The problem is compounded by the likelihood that women will not even realize symptoms in themselves indicating that they have sleep disorders," he says.

"For example, women with sleep apnea - temporarily stopping breathing while asleep - have symptoms of depression more often than men with apnea."

Kryger claims that female sleeplessness is frequently misdiagnosed by doctors because of a widespread belief that women rarely suffer sleep problems, combined with the fact that insomnia manifests itself differently in women to how it does in men.

Richard Gelula, the chief executive of the NSF, says: "The NSF study found that women's sleep problems can affect virtually every aspect of their lives, leaving them late for work, stressed out, too tired for sex and little time for their friends."

"Women of all ages are burning the candle at both ends, and as a result, they are sleepless and stressed out. Poor sleep (affects) every aspect of a woman's life, as well as her health. In fact, more than one half of the women polled reported that they felt sad or depressed in the past month and one third reported they recently felt hopeless about the future."

The study reveals, however, women refuse to succumb to the strain of sleeplessness. Almost 80 percent say that, when they experience drowsiness during the day, they just accept it and keep going.

Two-thirds say they achieved this by drinking caffeine-rich drinks, with one-third admitting to consuming three or more such drinks every day in an attempt to escape their exhaustion.

Just 8 percent admit missing work at least once a month due to tiredness.

"While most women refuse to put work on the back burner when they run out of time or are too sleepy, they admit choosing instead to cut back on healthy activities as they struggle through their daily lives," says Gelula.

Half of the women admit that sleep and exercise are the first things they sacrifice. In addition, more than one-third said they also reduce the amount of time spent with friends and family, stop eating healthily and don't participate in sexual activity when feeling tired. "Worryingly, women admit to driving while feeling exhausted," says Gelula. "More than one-quarter say they have driven while feeling drowsy at least once a month in the past year, 10 percent of whom said they drove in this state while a child was in the car."

(China Daily 07/18/2007 page19)