Why Women Are More Likely to Have Insomnia Than Men

Roughly a third of Americans suffer from insomnia, including about 10% whose symptoms interfere with their daily activities. While insomnia can affect anyone, data show it tends to affect women far more often than men.

At Atlanta Insomnia and Behavioral Health Services, our team helps women (and men, too) improve their sleep through tailored sleep therapy programs focused on identifying and addressing the root causes of insomnia. 

In this post, learn why insomnia is more common among women and how we can help you improve your sleep habits (and your overall wellness, too).

Women and insomnia: Understanding the link

Researchers believe the connection between women and sleep problems has a range of underlying causes. Here are some of them.

Hormonal changes

Hormones play a vital role in sleep management, so it’s not surprising that fluctuations in women’s hormones can play a role in sleep patterns. Major hormonal changes during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause can all affect how well you sleep.

But it’s not just these major changes that take a toll on slumber. Even the month-to-month fluctuations during ovulation and menstruation can affect how well you sleep. 

These fluctuations can be especially dramatic for women with a severe type of premenstrual syndrome called premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

During menopause, night sweats may interrupt your sleep, and leg cramps and back pain can make sleep more difficult for pregnant women, in addition to the hormonal changes they experience. 

Hormonal shifts during the postpartum period can also make it harder to get a good night’s sleep.

Underlying health issues

Insomnia is also a side effect of several underlying health issues that tend to be more common among women. Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder that causes uncomfortable symptoms that can make it harder to sleep.

Mental health issues, like depression and anxiety, are also highly linked with sleep disturbances, and as it turns out, these problems are more common among women, too. In fact, depression affects about twice as many women as men, and anxiety disorders occur in more than twice as many women.

Lifestyle stressors

Finally, many women carry the brunt of working full-time jobs, caring for family members, and managing social responsibilities. The burden of responsibilities can lead to additional stress, which can overtake thoughts and make it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep.

The solution: Customized insomnia therapy

While therapy for anxiety and depression can help relieve some sleep-related issues, we know the real way to overcome insomnia is to tackle sleep problems head on. 

Our doctors are trained in therapies specifically focused on sleep and sleep habits, using cognitive-behavioral treatment for insomnia to identify and then manage underlying causes.

To learn how we can develop a sleep therapy plan to knock out your insomnia symptoms, request an appointment online or over the phone today with our team at Atlanta Insomnia and Behavioral Health Services in Decatur, Georgia.