Why do women have more sleep issues than men?

Hormones again take centre stage during the years leading up to – and beyond – menopause. Up to 80 per cent of women start getting hot flashes in perimenopause (the four or so years leading up to menopause), Baker says, and they can last for several years afterward. For about 20 per cent of women, though, these hot flashes are frequent and intense enough to disrupt sleep, she says.

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Postmenopausal women are also at higher risk for developing obstructive sleep apnoea, which occurs when the muscles of the airway relax and temporarily impede breathing, which can lead to frequent nighttime awakenings.

“That’s the hormones again,” Baker says. Weight gain related to menopause and ageing may also play a role in sleep apnoea risk, along with muscle-tone changes associated with age and a general redistribution of body weight.

Women are also at increased risk for certain mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, which can exacerbate sleep issues. According to Beyond Blue, one in three Australian women will experience anxiety in their lifetime, while one in six will experience depression.

How to get better sleep

Fortunately, effective solutions are available, Harris says.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I, is widely recognised as the best first-line treatment, she says.

It’s been shown to improve sleep and reduce depressive symptoms by using a range of cognitive and behavioral techniques, such as identifying and reframing negative thought patterns, practicing mindfulness, tracking sleep and changing bedtimes, Harris says.

Hormone replacement therapy, which involves supplementing hormones lost during the menopausal transition, is considered the most effective way to treat hot flashes, Baker says. That said, current recommendations are “to take the lowest dose for the shortest amount of time”, Baker notes, because the treatment can come with risks.

Finally, it’s important to recognise that it’s normal for sleep to vary – from night to night or person to person.

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And waking up after you’ve fallen asleep doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a problem. “Everyone wakes in the middle of the night,” Harris adds, “just some people remember it more than others”.

If you wake once or twice at night and are able to fall asleep again in 10 to 15 minutes, that’s not problematic, she says. But “if you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or awakening too early, or if you feel like your sleep is unrefreshing”, she recommends seeking help from a medical professional.

Above all, Harris says, “don’t suffer in silence”.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Lisa L. Lewis is the author of the book, “The Sleep-Deprived Teen”. She regularly presents to schools and other organisations about the essential role of sleep.