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The gender sleep gap means women are struggling to sleep.
However, women’s struggles with sleep often go unnoticed.
Our Senior Sleep Editor Claire with her then contact-napping newborn
Without quality sleep, physical and mental health can suffer.
So I wanted to hear from real women about why they struggle to sleep.
Nine women share their gender sleep gap stories
1.
Our Senior Sleep Editor Claire with her then contact-napping newborn
REM sleepis the stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movement and dreaming.
Its when we process our emotions and consolidate memories, and its essential for brain health and function.
In the US there is no legal paid paternity leave requirement.
But the real issue started when Ella returned to work.
I even deal with the cats' nighttime shenanigans sometimes!
These can include extended family members, children, neighbors, friends and colleagues.
This highlights how the lack of leisure time in the day for women eats into their sleep time.
Reading over 100 books last year certainly highlights the struggle to get enough sleep each night, adds Stephanie.
This is definitely not something my husband experienced.
Post-partum struggles can have a huge impact on sleep and last well beyond the allowed maternity leave time.
Id been having very long and very heavy periods that had left me severely anaemic.
She suggested that a series of injections would stop my periods and help me have a better life.
For Jenny, one of the worst symptoms ofmenopause was sleep disruption.
Jenny started to track her sleep to find out what triggered these issues.
And it’s not surprising.
Our Senior Sleep Editor Claire with her then contact-napping newborn
A study revealed thatmenopausal women lose on average 2.5 hours of sleepa night.
“The best way I can describe it is that I feel permanently jetlagged.
One of my colleagues recently told me her flushes lasted five years which could mean Im only halfway through.
I dread to think how dark the circles under my eyes will be then.
“As a co-sleeping mum, 95% of my son’s night wakings fall to me.
So I let my husband rest while I tough it out in the other room.
“It isn’t fair, but it’s how it is right now.
And it’s how our little family is surviving with me as the sacrificial sleep lamb.”
And its not just immediately post-partem, Annas children are 2 and 3 years old.
For Anna, its not just her mental health thats suffering, but her physical health, too.
My autoimmune condition is getting worse and I’ve developed a second, she explains.
My brain fog and ability to focus throughout a work day is getting worse as well.
Magnesiumhas beenproven to stimulate GABA, which is a neurotransmitter that enhances sleep and reduces stress.
It can slow down nerve activity, making it easier for people to drift off to sleep.
It is becoming very very noticeable.”
Women often feel the burden of ensuring their family, friends and colleagues are emotionally well.
This added mental load can increase levels of anxiety.
Nighttime anxietyis a common experience that keeps many people up at night.
For Meg, this anxiety mainly focused on her family.
Luckily, Meg was able to transform this pattern of worrying at night.
So, how did she do it?
I exercise every single day except for Mondays.
I take magnesium an hour before bed every night.
Nicolas sleep disruptions only worsened when her and her partner decided to have children.
Sleeplessness triggered by pregnancy hormone fluctuations and discomfort blended seamlessly into waking multiple times throughout the night to breastfeed.
But this sleep deprivation isnt an equal split between mothers and fathers.
