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Think Women Sleep Worse Than Men? You’re Right

Women are more likely than men to have insomnia — but research suggests there may be ways to get more z's


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When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, there’s a gender gap. Women are more likely than men to have insomnia, which can mean trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, leaving them more tired during the day. 

The difference is significant, according to a review of 13 studies involving 326,908 people published in 2020 in Frontiers in Psychiatry. Women were nearly 60 percent more likely to have insomnia than men. Earlier research, using different methods, found a still-striking 40 percent difference.

While it’s possible that men are less likely to report their sleep problems, there are plenty of reasons women may indeed suffer from poorer sleep, says Phyllis Zee, M.D., director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago.

“I don’t think we know definitively why … but it could be related to menstrual cycles, pregnancies, and hormonal and other changes in physiology around menopause,” she says. And women frequently fill more roles than men: “They are caregivers at almost every stage of their lives,” assisting children, aging parents, spouses and partners, she adds.

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Many women are aware of the immediate price they pay for nights of lost sleep, from grogginess to irritability.

But years of poor sleep can have lasting consequences on brain health. Sleep deprivation impairs attention, memory and executive function, and increases cognitive complaints in middle-aged adults, according to AARP’s Global Council on Brain Health. Sleeping well through one’s lifespan is likely to promote better cognitive functioning with age, the GCBH said in its 2016 report.

Studies that focus on the fragmented sleep that comes with insomnia show that it’s linked with faster cognitive decline. It’s also a risk factor for stroke and depression, the GCBH said. 

And some insomnia symptoms may be more worrisome than others. In a study of more than 2,500 adults, ages 51 to 88 — two-thirds of whom were women — those who often had trouble falling asleep were more likely than their peers to have memory problems and other signs of cognitive decline when examined 14 years later. But the researchers didn’t find the same problems in people who woke during the night, woke too early, or felt unrested in the morning, according to the study published in Sleep in 2022.

The findings raise hopes that treatments aimed at helping people fall asleep could lower their dementia risk, but more study is needed, the researchers said. 

Insomnia isn’t the only sleep problem that can affect women’s brains. Researchers have also learned that obstructive sleep apnea is an under-recognized and undertreated problem in women, says Michael Grandner, director of the sleep and health research program at the University of Arizona, Tucson. People with obstructive sleep apnea have trouble maintaining open airways as they sleep, leading to interrupted breathing during the night. Common symptoms include snoring, gasping for breath and daytime fatigue. Women with sleep apnea may also feel depressed, anxious or irritable during the day, according to the Society for Women’s Health Research.

When the condition goes untreated, the short-term effects can be “profound,” Grandner says, and can include problems with thinking, memory and focus — and even an increase in car accidents.

“In the longer term, it does seem to increase the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia,” he says. Early diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea, especially in midlife, “could make a huge difference” over time, Grandner says.

How can women protect their sleep and brain health? Sleep experts suggest:

  • Find a healthy sleeping and waking rhythm. This includes going to bed and getting up at the same time each day. When you stick to routines, you help your brain know when it’s time to sleep and time to be awake, Zee says. Finding time to exercise, but not too close to bedtime, is good advice too. Also, go outside and experience natural light each day, she says — that also helps your body clock work as it should.
  • Try getting just a little more sleep — and don’t feel bad if you seem to need more shut-eye than the men in your life. A study published in Sleep in 2020 cites “both a biological and social basis” for why men on average sleep less than women. All adults need at least seven hours a night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • If you are struggling with hot flashes and night sweats, try lowering the temperature in your bedroom and wearing moisture-wicking pajamas to stay more comfortable. Improved sleep may also reduce your hot flashes, Zee says.
  • Pay attention to how you feel and function during the day. If you are constantly sleepy, lack energy or feel irritable for reasons you cannot pin down, suspect poor sleep — even if you haven’t noticed trouble sleeping.
  • If you suspect a sleep disorder, seek help. An effective treatment for insomnia is a form of talk therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I, experts agree. And while the best-known therapy for sleep apnea is wearing a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) mask, many women have milder symptoms that can be treated with a simple mouthpiece that repositions the jaw, Grandner says.

The good news: If you’re struggling with sleep, you’re not destined to spend decades staring at the ceiling. “It’s probably going to get better,” Grandner says, “and if it doesn’t, it’s probably a condition that’s highly treatable.”

Want to learn more? Try our challenge, Make Sleep Your Superpower.

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