Why Women Are More Often Insomnia Than Men?

Medical Video: Women and Sleep Problems

One woman's expertise is multitasking. They are able to do several activities at one time. Not only taking care of children, women are also able to pursue careers, take care of their families, and carry out social activities at once. And in the end, the thing that must be sacrificed from the many activities is the lack of time to sleep.

In fact, women suffer from insomnia more often than men.

This fact is supported by surveys conducted by National Sleep Foundation in 2015 which stated that 57% of women and 51% of men experienced symptoms of insomnia at least several nights a week.

According to research conducted by the University of Pennsylvania in 2013, women need more sleep than men. However, the existence of biological changes due to the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, or menopause experienced by women can actually interfere with the time and quality of sleep they have; so finally, unhealthy sleep patterns become a habit.

Why are women more often insomnia?

Here are some reasons why women experience insomnia more often than men and how to deal with it:

1. Lifestyle factors

Women's work is endless, whether they have to take care of a child, husband, home, work, etc. Women have many things to do, and unfortunately, women often have difficulty sleeping because there are some things that have not been resolved from various activities that must be done. As a result, it can make it difficult for their brains to relax at night and disrupt their quality of sleep.

Which must be done: Write down a few things that are still in your mind before you go to bed. Or, spend more time on yourself on weekends so that your mind is more relaxed.

2. Different sleep habits in women

According to National Sleep Foundationwomen are twice as likely to have difficulty sleeping or sleeping soundly than men. Women tend to wake up more easily at night and cannot return to sleep; either because of the voices of children, the snoring of a husband, the noise jammed outside the house, or just the sound of falling objects.

Which must be done: Use earplugs to reduce noise that can interfere with your sleep; or, if you don't feel comfortable, try using a loud fan because the sound can usually help someone focus more on it than other sounds that can interfere with sleep.

3. Hormone factor

Menstrual cycles, premenopausal, and menopause can actually disrupt sleep quality. "More than 70% of women complain of sleep problems during menstruation, when hormone levels are at their lowest," said Amy Wolfson, PhD, quoted by webmd.com.

Which must be done: Try adjusting your room temperature to keep it cool and comfortable, drink one glass of water before going to bed, change your clothes with a nightgown, or add a pillowcase on your bed if you sweat at night.

4. Factors of pregnancy

The closer the time to pregnancy, the more difficult it is for you to sleep. This happens because in that phase, your body is preparing for a prospective baby. Pregnant women often feel tired, which makes pregnant women need more sleep.

Which must be done: COba sleep on your side, then place one pillow behind you, one pillow between your legs, and one pillow under your arm. You also have to limit your fluid intake at night. Or, consult your complaint to the doctor to deal with insomnia during pregnancy.

5. Factors of stress, anxiety, and depression

Worry can keep your mind active at night. Problems at work or school or with family can make you feel anxious. Of course, this can make it difficult for you to sleep. In addition, depression is also a common source of insomnia. This might be due to chemical imbalances in the brain that affect sleep patterns. "For women, sleep deprivation is strongly associated with psychological distress and feelings due to hostility, depression, and anger," Horne said, quoted by medicaldaily.com.

Which must be done: If something disturbs your mind, try completing it before bedtime arrives; so that the annoying thing doesn't keep you awake at night because of worry. Or, try relaxation exercises to help with your sleep difficulties.