Women experience inadequate sleep and sleeplessness more commonly than males of similar ages from menarche through menopause. Women’s sleep architecture and sleep quality are influenced by physiological and hormonal changes that occur during adolescence, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause. Some sleep problems, such as insomnia, hypersomnia, and restless legs syndrome, are more common in women than in males. Other sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea and other parasomnias, are more common in women during certain phases of life.

Simultaneously, there is evidence that many sleep problems in women are underdiagnosed and probably undertreated. When compared to pregnant and postpartum women, menstruation, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women all report superior sleep quality. Other issues that women face at various periods of their lives, such as parenting duties, work-life balance, caregiver roles for the elderly, and stress, can also have an influence on their sleep quality and daytime performance. 

The study went through the following topics in this review: (1) sleep in women during their menstrual cycle; (2) sleep in women during pregnancy and the postpartum period and (3) menopausal sleep, followed by a brief review of the postmenopausal stage. The goals are to increase awareness of sleep variations throughout a woman’s life, encourage early identification, and advocate for gender-specific treatment techniques and future research.

Reference:journals.lww.com/clinpulm/Abstract/2018/05000/Sleep_in_Women_Across_the_Stages_of_Life.3.aspx

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