Is getting too little sleep risky for women? What to know — plus expert tips to get more (and better!) rest
How many hours of sleep do I need?
Chances are that you’re probably not getting enough sleep. Despite a growing appreciation for wellness and an emphasis on the importance of a restful night’s sleep — it's not necessarily something that comes easily to us.
“Culturally, there is an idea that if you sleep less, somehow you are better or making the most of your time,” says Dr. Christina Liak, medical director of the Kingston Health Sciences Sleep Labratory, located in Kingston, Ont.
This can in turn lend itself to many sleepless nights, which can lead to a host of medical issues. And a new report is saying that a lack of sleep can be especially dangerous for women.
Read on to find out more about the study, as well as to learn tips and tricks to get a better night's sleep.
🩺 What do I need to know?
A March 2024 study from the American College of Cardiology found that sleeping fewer than seven hours is associated with a higher risk of developing high blood pressure over time. When compared to men, women (who made up 61 per cent of the participants, ranging from the ages of 34 to 60) who reported less than seven hours of sleep saw a 7 per cent greater risk of developing high blood pressure.
While Liak says that it can be difficult to fully understand the findings without access to how the data was broken down or the lifestyles of the female participants in the American College of Cardiology’s latest study, “there's emerging evidence that women may need more sleep physiologically than men,” she says.
👩 Why do women need more sleep than men?
There are several factors that affect this. Physically, women's bodies undergo various changes that men's don't — like pregnancy and menopause — which can have a taxing affect on their bodies. In addition to this, due to their menstrual cycle, many women face monthly changes to their hormone level, which can also impact their need for more sleep.
🥱 Why are people — especially women — not sleeping enough?
There are a variety of reasons someone might not be able to get enough sleep regularly. Regardless of your gender, “insomnia is a huge issue,” Liak says. Typically, insomnia — the inability to get enough quality sleep — doesn’t come out of nowhere. It's typically linked to an inciting factor that might cause anxiety or stress; such as a divorce, a death in the family, or a major medical diagnosis. And the effects can be long-lasting. “Even if you’re through the divorce or your bereavement period is kind of waning, people develop poor habits that can promote insomnia and they can continue on even after the event has passed,” Liak says.
For women, hormonal changes during pregnancy as well as pre-and post-menopause can also contribute to sleep apnea and an inability to get comfortable or fully rest.
Sometimes, a lack of sleep isn’t the result of just one specific factor, but rather a systemic one. With an increased cost of living, many Canadians are working longer hours and days, and more years of their lives, leading to less sleep. “It's really easy for me to say you need to get more sleep,” Liak says, “[But] I have patients who are working three jobs, they don't have a car, or they are walking to work for an hour.” This leads to chronic sleep deprivation, which lead to an increased risk of high blood pressure, risk of developing heart disease, and greater risk for brain effects like depression, anxiety and forgetfulness, among other concerns.
“We often think of sleep as a time where we're not doing anything,” Liak says, “but it's actually a really important time for our brains; when our brains rest, rejuvenate and consolidate memories — it’s a really crucial time.”
😴 How much sleep do I need?
When it comes to how many hours a night people should be sleeping, Liak says the exact amount is hard to discern. “I would say on average, a good sum is about 7 or 8 hours for an adult, and children need more.” That being said, some people may need more — or less — than the recommended amount. The issue, Liak says, is that most people don't actually know how much sleep their body needs.
”We're in this society where we're going, going, going, and we actually never get a sense of how much we truly need,” she says. Liak recommends waiting for when you have a chunk of uninterrupted time (like a slow weekend with no plans).“[Go] to bed at the time when you feel tired and do what we call ‘free sleeping,’ sleep until you wake up [with] no alarm,” she says. “Being able to do this for several weeks.”
💤 How can I get a better night's sleep?
For those looking to improve their sleep, there are several ways to set yourself up for sleep success.
Limit caffeine (especially in the afternoon
“What [people] might not realize is caffeine actually has a really long half-life of up to five hours,” Liak says. “If you're having it at 3 or 4 p.m. and you're going to bed at 9 or 10 p.m, you could still have 30 per cent of that caffeine circulating. So it can really have an effect on your sleep at night.”
Turn the temperature down
Ensuring your sleep space is optimally set up is important, as well, and one of Liak's top tips is to set your bedroom temperature slightly lower than you might initially think to. “Our bodies naturally want to be at a lower temperature at night,” she explains. “You'll sleep more deeply, soundly, and you'll be less likely to wake up if you do that.”
Stop snoozing
If you only have a short amount of time to sleep, Liak recommends setting your alarm clock to the latest possible time you can wake up — and stop hitting the snooze button. “Setting your [alarm clock] earlier and then snoozing just guarantees the last 20 or 30 minutes of time [you’re sleeping] are disrupted,” Liak says. “You may as well just get consolidated sleep until you have to get up.”
Give up the cramming
If you're stressed about deadlines or think you have to stay up to cram in some extra late night work, Liak has some advice — don’t. “I try to convince people that if you're tired and trying to work through it, you'll probably be more efficient if you just get enough sleep,” she says. “You’ll get more done in less time if you’re well-rested.”
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