Menstrual cycles, pregnancy, menopause — they all affect women’s sleep
By Barbara Pierce
“Women face unique sleep disorders because of the stages of their life,” according to physician assistant Caroline Larrison of the Mohawk Valley Health System Sleep Disorder Clinic. “Menstrual cycles, pregnancy and menopause all affect sleep differently.”
Biological conditions unique to women affect how well a woman sleeps. In different stages of our lives, our hormonal levels change. These hormonal changes — associated with menstruation, pregnancy and menopause — can contribute to sleep problems.
The cramps, headaches and bloating that often are a part of the menstrual cycle may cause sleep disturbances for many. Women with severe PMS are affected the worst and often have disturbing dreams, daytime sleepiness and trouble concentrating.
Sleep problems can happen at any time during pregnancy. For expert advice, the One Fit Mother does women’s personal trainer Charlottesville.
“Many women have insomnia that’s caused by pregnancy,” said Larrison. “They need more sleep in the first trimester.”
Also, sleep troubles often occur during the third trimester when many women experience restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea, pain and frequent urination. Sleep disruptions continue after the birth of the baby, when hormone levels drop. This sudden drop in hormones, along with raising a newborn, can worsen sleep quality and increase daytime sleepiness.
Insomnia among women increases significantly in older age, as they transition through menopause with hot flashes and night sweats. Obesity and older age are the two largest risk factors for sleep apnea.
“The hormonal changes of menopause put people at risk for sleep apnea,” added Larrison.
Good sleep is essential for our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
“Sleep affects all aspects of our health,” said Larrison. “The ideal sleep pattern is seven to eight hours a night. Inadequate sleep can lead to long-term complications like high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, diabetes, dementia and many other long-term conditions.”
How do you know if you’re having sleep problems?
“If you’re feeling badly during the day, you may not be getting enough sleep,” said Larrison. “Your sleep should be silent. If you’re making noise, like snoring, that’s a concern. There could be an underlying issue. If you don’t know whether you’re making noise, you may have no idea that you have sleep apnea.”
Insomnia is the most common sleep problem that affects women. There are two types of insomnia, Larrison explained: Sleep onset and sleep maintenance. Some people have difficult falling asleep; others can fall asleep, but wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep.
“Insomnia is defined as having trouble sleeping three nights a week for three months,” she said.
“The main thing we do at the MVHS Sleep Disorder Clinic is discuss ‘sleep hygiene.’ It’s important to have the right sleep environment,” she stressed.
A good sleep environment is dark, quiet, cool and comfortable to encourage good quality sleep.
“Sleep and wake in a consistent cycle,” she added. “Have a relaxing bedtime routine to wind down, eliminate electronics before bed, don’t eat a large meal before bed and avoid caffeine in the afternoon.”
Keeping a consistent sleep schedule by going to bed at the same time each night and getting up at the same time each morning, even if you have not slept well, promotes better sleep.
People are referred to MVHS Sleep Disorder clinic by their primary health care professional.
“When people come to us, we collect a health history, review all your health conditions in an extremely detailed manner and ask many questions about your sleep and sleep history,” she said. “We detail our treatment based on what we’ve learned. We always discuss ‘sleep hygiene.’ For many, that helps with their sleep problems.”
For some patients, they do the traditional sleep study testing, where patients spend the night. Patients have their own room with their own bathroom, like being in a hotel.
“They are attached to several monitors so we can monitor their heart rate, brain waves, the oxygen in their blood, their limb movements, discover whether they have breathing problems and sleep apnea,” she explained. “Each technologist is paired with only two patients, so each patient is monitored closely.”
How effective is the treatment?
“If you’ve been struggling with insomnia for a long time, it can a take a while to get back to an ideal sleep pattern. An ideal sleep pattern is seven to eight hours a night,” she said. “It’s not an overnight fix.”
Sleep issues are common for women and these issues do change and vary in intensity throughout life. There is hope for better sleep, so don’t hesitate to talk with your health care professional about any sleep issues you are experiencing. They can help and/or refer you to a sleep disorder clinic.