Women's Health Wednesday: Better Sleep
May is Better Sleep Month, which aims to encourage people to develop better sleep habits and understand the impact poor sleep habits can have on your overall health.
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - May is Better Sleep Month, which aims to encourage people to develop better sleep habits and understand the impact poor sleep habits can have on your overall health.
According to a the Better Sleep Council, one third of Americans experience poor sleep at least one night per week, and 16% are diagnosed with stress-induced insomnia. The organization also estimates $150 billion in lost productivity and absenteeism results from poor sleep.
Women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with sleeping disorders like insomnia and restless legs syndrome, according to the Sleep Foundation.
In this week's Women's Health Wednesday, Dr. Paul Glovinsky of St. Peter's Sleep Center is sharing more insight into why women suffer more with sleep and what they can do to overcome those issues.
Biggest Factors Impacting Sleep for Women:
- Hyperarousal
- Temperature regulation
- Hormone fluctuation
Dr. Glovinsky explains women are more likely to deal with hyperarousal as a result of things like single household situations or an unequal distribution of evening household chores that keep them functioning through the late hours of the day. To combat this situation, he suggests leaving yourself an additional 30-60 minutes at night to decompress from the day even if it means less total hours of sleep, it will lead to a better overall rest.
He also says women are three times more likely than men to have cold hands and feet. This can prevent the inner-core temperature from cooling at night. One way to address this issue is to warm your hands and feet an hour before bed.
As for hormonal fluctuations, women can experience these issues both in pregnancy and in menopause. To learn more about Dr. Glovinsky's method to combat these issues, listen to this week's Women's Health Wednesday.