One of the signs that women seem to be paying a heavier price for China's faster economic development is the ever shorter, and less peaceful, sleep the fairer sex can afford.

Insomnia has spread from one age group to another, and one profession to another, like a contagion.

To make things more complicated, it is the kind of issue that does not attract enough attention, even though there is no shortage of women in the medical profession who might be able to provide such assistance.

What can society do to help women who do not sleep well at night - other than raising public awareness? And what can the government do?

Also, considering the fact that low quality sleep tends to be a result of multiple causes, what can medical people do to help?

These are among the questions that need to be raised until workable solutions are proposed for a real and continuing problem.

It may take many surveys to clearly define the true magnitude of just how poorly women sleep and why.

Those conducted so far provide scanty clues as to how bad the situation is and how things can be improved.

But considering the amount of pressure that can be brought upon society to find solutions, and the amount of time that is wasted that could otherwise be used for creative pursuits, sleep disorders may have a greater bearing on the economy than any single issue.

It makes one feel embarrassed when so many items that people were unable to afford in the past have become part of their everyday lives. Things such as Chanel No 5 and yoga lessons by exotic teachers, for instance, are not really luxuries when a good night's sleep has become priceless.

That is especially true for those doing creative and knowledge-based work in so-called white-collar jobs.

According to a recent survey by the marketing research firm, A C Nielson, as reported in the Chinese language press, a fourth of Chinese usually do not go to bed until after the midnight, while two-thirds have to get up before 7 am.

It is common for people to have less than eight hours of shut-eye, especially the urban young.

But women seem to outnumber men among those who suffer from sleep deprivation.

Pan Jiyang, director of the psychology department of No 1 Hospital affiliated to Jinan University in Guangzhou, reported that more than 60 per cent of his insomnia patients are female.

On a global scale, the problem seems even worse, as reflected by figures coming out at an academic conference in March. As many as 75 per cent of all female urban residents usually do not get eight hours of sleep.

One can think of many reasons leading to women's poor sleeping habits. In a society where efficiency, or the speed and intensity of work, is the most important criterion to measure someone's success or failure, women have to appear tough to seek career advancement. And to be tough both in the workplace and at home can take a toll.

According to Professor Li Shunwei from Peking Union Medical College Hospital, women more easily fall victim to anxiety and stress. Indeed, anything that goes wrong in workplaces and at home may lead to sleep disorders, such as changes in careers, worries about children, and domestic disputes, not to mention physical illnesses.

Worse still, some women suffering from chronic insomnia are not fully aware of the physical harm their disorder is causing.

Li said although many women suffer from low quality sleep, they tend not to take the problem seriously and only 4 per cent choose to see a doctor. Others begin habitually abusing sleeping pills.

Experts warn that bad sleep can cause fatigue, low efficiency and obesity, among other ills. Statistics also show that women from 45 to 65 who are not able to have eight hours of sleep at night are 39 per cent more vulnerable to heart attacks than their happily slumbering peers.

This being the case, there is at least one healing solution one can readily think of: new sports and recreational facilities emerging in Chinese cities.

These sites are not just ways for their proprietors to make money, like selling cosmetics. They are not just of ornamental significance of a bourgeois lifestyle.

Since so many members of society are still so far away from finding a balance of work and life, and since regular exercise is such a key part of a decent life, building more and using such facilities is a necessary social investment.

A recent example of this sort is found in Wangfujing, in downtown Beijing, at an institution specializing in helping its clients fight insomnia. Its service ranges from diagnosis to recommendations for ongoing treatment of sleep problems.

Greater awareness in society is to be achieved, plus some policy incentives from the government, helping people find precious sleep may grow into a huge industry.

Women's organizations and residential communities should lead a campaign to help men understand that physical exercise for their partners and mental relaxation are not just for cosmetic use.

They should try to arrange time for their loved ones' restfulness and count it as precious as their own sleep time. Perhaps men could choose to see a doctor about their snoring as a good starting point to show they care.

(China Daily 04/16/2005 page4)