Adequate sleep is important for everyone, but women have responsibilities for housework and children in addition to their responsibilities in business life, and they cannot meet their sleep needs regularly because they cannot spare enough time for sleep. Women of all ages can face sleep disorders. Many young women face sleep disorders due to their lifestyle. Insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue are common sleep problems. Sleep is affected by age, physical, emotional and hormonal changes in women. Sleep disorders are seen during menstrual periods, pregnancy and menopause.
The menstrual period causes a change in the sleep pattern, excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, desire to sleep more at night, and haunting dreams are often seen. As physicians, we recommend women to have a regular sleep-wake program, healthy diets and avoiding stress during these periods.
Many women’s sleep patterns change during pregnancy. The increase in progesterone hormone causes sleep disorders in women. This leads to prolonged sleep time at night and daytime fatigue. Deep sleep decreases later in pregnancy, and sleep is often interrupted by awakenings. Sleep efficiency decreased due to physical stresses, leg cramps, headaches, stomachaches, and increased urinary need. While expectant mothers complain about waking up frequently during sleep, many expectant mothers whose sleep is interrupted due to the movement of their babies do not complain about this situation. However, whatever the reason is, frequent sleep interruptions at night lead to excessive daytime sleepiness.
Aging naturally leads to deterioration in sleep structure. Changes in the level of sex hormones with age directly affect the structure of sleep, leading to daytime fatigue, nighttime insomnia and restlessness. Physical changes such as increased heart rate, anxiety and hot flashes during menopause disrupt the structure of sleep. We recommend controlling the bedroom temperature, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, and hormone replacement therapy when struggling with sleep problems for menopausal women.
Sleep problems in women are more common than is thought, women need to cooperate with a physician for these problems, ensure that their problems are diagnosed and learn about treatment options.
