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Women report insomnia more often than
men do, and are more apt to say they awaken unrefreshed, and feel sleepy
in the daytime. Women also complain more frequently than men do that
their sleep is disturbed by stress, pain, childcare, and a partner's
snoring. Women use more sleeping pills, too.
You might expect, therefore, that women's sleep would be a prime focus
of research. Not so! The hormone shifts that affect women each month
from puberty until menopause also make study results harder to analyze.
Most sleep lab studies focused mainly on men until quite recently, just
as most research in general did. Federal guidelines now mandate inclusion
of women as research subjects. The recent influx of female scientists
into sleep medicine also boosted awareness of the need to expand gender
research in this field.
While much remains to be learned about women's sleep, Joyce Walsleben
and Rita Baron-Faust have done an admirable job of translating existing
findings into a substantive and practical self-help book. Walsleben
directs the sleep disorders center at New York University School of
Medicine. Baron-Faust is a veteran medical writer who specializes in
women's health.
"Women are probably the most sleep-deprived creatures on earth," the
authors assert. The average American woman gets only about 6.5 hours
of sleep most nights, way less than the 8 hours sleep specialists say
most people need to feel their best. Men don't get enough sleep, either,
but in two-parent households, where both parents work outside the home--today's
norm--women spend an hour more a day than their male partners on childcare
and household duties. "There are just so many hours in the day," Walsleben
and Baron-Faust note, "and something's got to give. That something is
usually sleep."
A new mother, they report, may lose as many as 700 hours of sleep in
her baby's first year. Being "on call" disrupts a mother's sleep even
when the baby sleeps through the night. In a blink, it seems, mom wears
many more parenting hats: homework helper, chauffeur, scout leader,
soccer coach. At the same time, she must juggle responsibility for meals,
laundry, and shopping, with the demands of her marriage, paid and volunteer
jobs, needs of aging parents, and more.
The authors' key message to women: set priorities, and put yourself
high on the list. Among their commonsense tips:
- Involve the whole family in chores.
Even toddlers can toss salads, sort and fold laundry (perfection not
required). School age youngsters can pack their own lunches.
- If you don't fall asleep within 10
minutes after getting in bed, use visualization and relaxation techniques
that promote drowsiness. Many sleep experts suggest you get up if
you can't sleep and do some quiet activity. But too many women today
are driven by "should dos," the authors assert, and may feel pushed
to tackle household tasks. Stay in bed, they say, unless you're really
agitated.
- If an endless list of worries races
through your mind at bedtime, keep a worry book. List bothersome issues
on the left side of the page, and forward motion toward resolving
these concerns on the right. Do this task well before your head hits
the pillow--right after dinner, for example.
- If you're dieting, recognize that
hunger can make you restless and prevent a good night's sleep. Sleep
deprivation may boost your appetite, especially for high-fat foods.
A good bedtime snack: breakfast foods, such as cereal with milk and
fruit.
- If you're a woman whose male partner
falls asleep right after lovemaking, while you're still longing for
cuddling and conversation...welcome to the club. But don't let anger
disrupt your sleep, Walsleben and Baron-Faust caution. Try sex in
the morning, scheduled "dates," and other tactics to keep romance
alive.
- If you suffer from arthritis, migraine
headaches, and pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia--all more common
in women than men--check the ingredients in the medications you take.
Many pain-relievers contain caffeine and other ingredients that disrupt
sleep.
This book also offers advice on how you
can get a good night's rest when your partner sleeps poorly, how to
help children sleep well, and when to consult a sleep specialist. It
includes suggestions for additional reading, websites, and other resources.
This friendly and helpful guide belongs on every family's home medical
bookshelf.
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