Sleep Apnea Article

Women and Sleep Disorders

Women have more than double the risk of suffering from some type of sleep disorder. The usual medical definition of a sleep disorder is an interrupted pattern of sleeping which might include problems falling asleep or even staying asleep. It could also mean the person is apt to fall asleep at inappropriate times or is having excessive total sleeping time. Sometimes it is associated with other types of odd behaviors associated with sleep problems. Sleep disorders can be loosely divided into four different categories or types. These types include hypersomnia, insomnia, disruptive sleeping disorder, and abnormal sleep patterns.

There are many contributing factors which may impact a woman's usual sleep cycle. These changes include stress, illness, depression or anxiety, pregnancy and hormonal changes. There are other factors as well, and they can be unique to the individual. These personal type factors include grief, pain, medical conditions, breathing disorders, and even worry can affect the sleep patterns of women.

When menopause hits a middle aged woman, it can in itself cause anxiety bouts and heart palpitations. Sleep disorders can also be blamed on a sudden decrease in a woman's hormone levels may cause her to suffer from insomnia, fragmented sleep and frequent awakenings. Some women going through menopause may even experience sudden hot flashes during the night. When this happens, you will wake up covered in sweat, referred to as night sweats. Nearly 30% of all women suffer at some point in their lives from night sweats. These annoying episodes of excessive perspiration that cause you to lose sleep can start years before the onset of menopause ever occurs.

Pregnancy, which of course only affects women, can cause a number of sleep disrupting symptoms. Some pregnant women are first introduced to sleep apnea while they are pregnant. A reduced amount of oxygen may become a problem for both mother and child. Low oxygen can also cause the child to have a low birth weight. Pregnancy brings with it many things which can make mommy lose sleep. Losing sleep because of heartburn, general discomfort, urination, fetal movements, leg cramps and low back pain, are but a few of the pitfalls which comes with pregnancy.

one quarter of all the women older than sixty five years of age report that they suffer from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea usually occurs more often in those women who are menopausal women. Women who are overweight are at a significantly increased risk for developing some type of sleep disorder during their lifetime if they remain overweight. One idea is that this is caused by increased fat that builds up around the stomach area during the time of menopause, putting them at a higher risk. Common symptoms of sleep apnea are excessive snoring, choking caused by breathing difficulties during the night, and extreme fatigue upon waking, even after spending eight hours or more in bed.

Women have been shown to be more apt to complain about bouts of insomnia than men. Insomnia has been shown to be linked with both depression and stress. It is being touted that stress and depression could be the main cause of insomnia. Although sleep disorders seem to occur more often in older women, it can affect younger women no matter what their age.