Healthy living
Body matters
Sleeping badly is harder on women
A bad night’s sleep is enough to make any of us feel rough, but now it seems poor sleep could be more damaging to your health if you’re a woman, say American scientists
The study, posted online in the journal, Brain, Behavior and Immunity, is the first of its kind to compare the health effects of poor sleep on men and women.
Researchers asked 210 healthy middle-aged men and women to rate the quality of their sleep every night for a month. All filled out a sleep quality questionnaire saying how long it took them to fall asleep, how long they slept each night and how often they woke up during the night.
Women who reported fitful sleep or had struggled to drop off were more at risk from diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke compared with women who enjoyed plenty of shut eye. Blood samples were taken and tested for insulin and glucose levels to gauge the risk of type 2 diabetes. Levels of a blood clotting agent and inflammation were also measured - risk factors associated with coronary heart disease and stroke. The sleep-deprived women also showed more hostility and depression. Men's health, on the other hand, did not seem to be affected by their sleep patterns.
'Interestingly, it appears that it's not so much the overall poor sleep quality that was associated with greater risk, but rather the length of time it takes a person to fall asleep that takes the highest toll,' said one of the lead researchers, Dr Edward Suarez of Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. 'Women who reported taking a half an hour or more to fall asleep showed the worst risk profile.'
It is not yet understood why women suffer more from lack of sleep but Suarez is planning further gender-based studies to look at the role of hormones such as serotonin and melatonin which are known to affect mood and sleep.
The study findings don’t surprise Dr Irshaad Ebrahim, sleep expert and director of the London Sleep Centre. 'Insomnia affects women much more than men and long-term lack of sleep has been consistently linked to immune dysfunction, weight gain, anxiety and depression.
'The dangers of poor sleep are very real – the inflammatory markers in the blood go up, increasing the risk of heart disease or stroke in the long-term. But we need to exercise caution with this study. There’s no mention of people’s occupation or other life-style factors that may affect both their sleep patterns and overall health.'
Sleep tips from sleep specialist, Dr Irshaad Ebrahim
- Stick to a regular bedtime and wake up schedule.
- Establish relaxing before-bed routines. Take a bath, have a glass of warm milk, or do some light reading before bed-time.
- Avoid troubling news right before bed. Violence in newspapers or on television may affect your sleep. Try reading a book instead.
- Make your bedroom a quiet room. Avoid watching television in your bedroom. Use it for sleeping or quiet reading.
- Avoid stimulants. Steer clear of caffeine six hours before your bed-time.
- Exercise regularly.
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Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
