Women and Sleep: Time to Prioritize Your Well-Being Ladies!

by Susan D'Addario,
Certified Sleep Science Coach
Certified Mind Body Eating Coach
Licensed HeartMath Certified Coach

It’s a fairly well-known fact that people across the globe are struggling with sleep more than ever before! In fact, in 1910, American adults averaged 9-hours of sleep per night, whereas in 2019, a third of us got less than 7 hours and a quarter less than six!

What you may not know though, is women are 40% more likely to experience insomnia compared to men starting from puberty and continuing throughout their lives. It is also true men are more prone for sleep apnea, that is until women catch up by perimenopause.

The reasons for the huge number of female insomniacs include:

▸Discomfort/pain while sleeping due to menstruation.

▸Decreases in estrogen – (which promotes better sleep) – 2 weeks prior to menstruation.

▸Pregnancy which can make one feel exhausted all day and cause insomnia at night due to extra high levels of progesterone.

▸Babies/children with nighttime needs that frequently interfere in their parents – particularly mothers – from getting good sleep quantity and quality.

▸Male partners tending to snore more often than women – at least until menopause – and the snoring is frequently wakeful for women.

▸Women are often the primary caregivers in their homes with children, as well as for elderly parents/relatives.

▸While taking care of children, parents, the household and possibly challenged by a male partner’s snoring, women may also work outside the home which can add to their overall stress levels and compromised sleep.

▸(Peri)menopause brings hot flashes and mood swings to many women which also challenge sleep quality. Moreover, sleep apnea likelihood increases due to decreased estrogen and progesterone.

▸Women are more likely than men to experience depression/anxiety which also threatens sleep quality.

What to do to offset the risks to good sleep?

Getting good quality sleep starts with aligning the 24ish-hour circadian rhythms of both our master clock and the sun. This entails:

▸ Getting strong light exposure for at least 20 minutes each morning - completed by 8:30am.

▸Dimming all the lights in the eves by 8:00/8:30pm – this includes all devices and ambient room lighting.

▸Blocking all blue light exposure – again on devices and ambient room lighting – until bedtime when all lights are out. You may want to wear blue light blocking glasses with orange lenses to accomplish this!

▸Converting your bedroom into a cave by making it pitch dark and cool!

Other considerations include being adequately hydrated; eating nutrient dense, real food while reducing overly processed foods; creating a consistent wake up and bedtime sleep pattern; avoiding excess caffeine and alcohol; supporting a healthy gut; moving your body daily; alleviating stress; reviewing all medications for potential insomnia side effects, etc.

Creating a pre-bedtime winddown routine is also essential for many to have a quiet and restorative night of sleep. This requires getting off screens a minimum of 30-minutes before bed.

Authentic Me Time

I’ve worked with countless women who want to have Me Time at the end of their long day. Unfortunately, their Me Time actions frequently include being on some form of social media. They confess they do this to alleviate their FOMO – Fear of Missing Out!

Ladies, let me assure you that spending hours on social media at night – far more time than many intend – has very little to do with true Me Time and is instead much more related to a bona fide addiction.

Social media searches, getting ‘likes’ on Facebook posts, connections on Instagram, Tik Tok, etc., all cause a spike in the neurotransmitter dopamine which is about search and drive. In essence, FOMO and dopamine move us away from ourselves and towards information, events, and/or searches that have little to no significant meaning to us.

Moreover, these actions frequently result in us staying up quite late and sacrificing precious sleep time. When we spend more time in on-line land than we want and ever intended, that is when our actions turn addictive. They deprive us of slowing down and connecting with and appreciating ourselves. In short, they are the very anti-thesis of Me Time. Plus, they tend to exacerbate and feed insomniac outcomes.

It’s absolutely worth doing your darndest to break free of social media misuse in the late evenings and instead engage in meaningful self -connections and relatedness. What in the world does this look like?

Here’s an example of a recommended pre-bedtime winddown scenario:

▸30-minutes before bed, wash up and get into bed clothing, making sure your bedroom and bed are all set for you when you’re ready.

For the next 20-minutes:

▸Sit in a quiet, dimly lit room wearing blue light blocking glasses.

▸Play a favorite type of pink noise softly like ocean waves, rain falling, or purring cat.

▸Place a cool pack behind your neck – (this will stimulate your relaxation response through the activation of your vagus nerve.)

Now, it’ up to you and your preferences:

▸Read a novel, (using a real book)

▸Color

▸Knit

▸Record in a gratitude journal

▸Do a crossword puzzle

▸Sit quietly with an eye mask and contemplate memories and/or relationships past or present that provide you with appreciation, happiness and relief from your ordinary hectic life.

My dearest Lady Insomniacs United, following the completion of mindful Me Time, I promise that you will likely find you’ll be more ready, willing and able to settle into a rewarding night of sleep. This is what all the above recommendations have to offer! Please go for it as though your well-being depends on it, because honestly, it does.