Sleep disorders are common in both men and women. However, women have to factor in hormones, their general health, among other things, to understand how sleeping disorders can affect them and their way of life. For that, if one has a history of sleep problems, they should keep a sleep journal and also get help from a sleep specialist Silver Spring when required. Here are some of the most common disorders related to sleep in women.

Women And Sleep Disorders

Women are mothers, daughters, and they tend to have an innate nature that makes them feel more about others than anyone. They tend to put others’ needs before their own.

So, women are more likely to make their schedule and routine around their families. While this is admirable, this can also lead to a whacked-up sleep routine, and in this way, women can have more disrupted sleep than men.

A lot of the time, women tend to wake up from bad cramps and discomfort when it’s that time of the month, so they can forget to sleep until the pain settles down. Similarly, with pregnancy, women tend to have really disrupted sleep because their bodies are going through so many changes and they’re literally growing a human inside them, so it really takes a toll on them.

All of these reasons can contribute to the fact that women are more likely to have choppy sleep than men, and that is not good at all. Sleep is important for everyone, regardless of their gender and if people are not getting their 7 to 8 hours of sleep, then they’re basically running on an empty tank and that is not going to last a whole lot.

Women, because their hormones and their stability depend on how well rested they are, can fall victim to more sleeping disorders than anyone in the world and because they don’t prioritize their sleep, it can have lasting detrimental effects on their bodies, minds, and hearts.

This is why sleep is crucial and a necessity for women and those who don’t get their allocated sleepy time in, will be prone to developing disorders that can do more harm than good to the body and mind and that is a scary thought.

Sleeping Disorders In Women

Here are some of the most commonly occurring sleep disorders in women.

Restless Leg Syndrome

Almost half the time, restless leg syndrome is more common to occur in women than in men. Restless leg syndrome is a disorder in which your larger limbs move on their own when you’re sleeping. You will involuntarily rock your legs back and forth, you can move your fingers and hands, and you might also jerk your head from side to side without knowing. This is also something that you might not experience, but the person sleeping next to you will definitely experience all of it.

This might have something to do with stress or hormones, but it leads to restless sleep all night long and you won’t be well rested. This is why you need to go see a doctor immediately if the lack of sleep is starting to get to you and your normal life activities are being affected because of it. So, this is something that you need to take seriously.

Pain During Sleep

A lot of the time, women can experience pain during their sleep. When they sleep, they will feel a sharp and pinching pain in their hips, pelvis, and even their chest at times. This can be because of pregnancy, or it can also be due to fibromyalgia, which causes dull and pinching pain in the body when you go ahead and sleep.

It may be a bad sleeping position that leads to pinching pain, or it can also be a sign of abnormal growth, if the pain is centered on the chest only. So, this is something that needs to be consulted with a doctor.

Insomnia

Insomnia is essentially the lack of sleep after a long and tiring day. New mothers or even pregnant women who have a lot of changes going on in their lives and bodies can experience chronic or acute insomnia from time to time.

It may be the baby getting up at odd hours or the pregnancy phases not letting you sleep, but this can be really detrimental if you don’t do something about it right away. This is why checking in with your sleep doctor Frederick and taking care that you have a routine is key.

Shift Work Sleep Disorder

This is very common in women who work odd shifts at work or have a disturbed circadian rhythm because of the out-of-whack time zones and frequent travels. This can cause difficulty in falling asleep at your usual time and daytime sleepiness, which can really mess up your life.

It is really common in men as well, but in women, it can lead to an array of problems, including irregular menstrual cycles, hormonal imbalance, and weight gain. This is really bad, so you want to ensure that making a routine is a prime priority and then everything else comes later.

Nocturnal Eating Disorder

This is a sleep disorder in which parasomnia goes hand in hand with mindless munching. You might wake up in the middle of the night, but even though you’re awake, you won’t remember eating anything. Women are more likely to suffer from night eating disorder, and this can cause a ton of problems like weight gain, confusion, and anxiety.

This is not normal at all and even though it might sound scary, it is treatable with management of sleep and some medication. So, you’ll be alright, but only if you go to the doctor on time and discuss the symptoms you’re experiencing.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is the stopping of breath during sleep and women with hormonal issues, family history, or even obesity have a higher chance of suffering from this disorder than men. This can be really scary to think about.

If you lose your breath during sleep, which is mainly due to the collapsing of the breathing airways because of unregulated pressure, it is really daunting and even though it can resume after a couple of seconds, thinking about it in hindsight can make you go crazy. This is why you want to see a doctor immediately and they will come up with a treatment plan, which will mainly include the use of a CPAP machine.

Night Terrors

Night terrors and sleep paralysis are really common in women who have crippling anxiety and if they suffer from PTSD. The trauma is very fresh in their minds and it can translate into a series of scary and unnerving events during your sleep, which will just cause you to jolt up in bed and not go to sleep for a long time.

This can be treated with therapy and managing your trauma, but you definitely don’t want to live with it, because it will affect your sleep and ultimately your life.

Conclusion

Sleep is complex, but now you know which sleep disorders can affect women. In case of any sleep problem, you should not wait for it go away and visit a sleep clinic Columbia for treatment.