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Sleep and Women’s Health

By November 10, 2020November 1st, 2021No Comments5 min read

Do you have any idea how much sleep you’re supposed to be getting each night? If not, you’re not alone. According to recent research by the Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research from the Institute of Medicine, most American’s have no clue how many hours of sleep they should have each night. They project as many as 50 to 70 million Americans are struggling with some form of a chronic sleeping disorder like insomnia.They also found that most Americans aren’t getting nearly enough sleep to promote healthy growth and proper functioning.

It turns out that our quality of sleep affects many aspects of our lives. For women, sleep can influence the way our brains and bodies function, how we make decisions, and our overall quality of life. If we don’t get enough sleep, we may find it’s difficult to remember old information or learn new skills and ideas right on the spot.

When we have a huge deficit in sleep, we can’t stay awake, which can make a long commute to or from the office even more dangerous. Today we’re going to cover how sleep can affect your health and answer important questions like how much sleep a woman needs to stay healthy. I’ve even included some of my favorite tips for helping women get more sleep at night.

Does Getting Better Sleep Actually Affect My Health?

If women do not get enough sleep, they can face a multitude long term negative health consequences. Some of the common health complications brought on by lack of sleep include obesity, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and heart attacks. With so many serious health consequences, I hope you’re starting to see why I think it’s time we got more serious about our sleep!

How much sleep do women need?

While we sleep, our body is hard and work repairing and rejuvenating all of our bodily systems. For instance, while you rest, the blood vessels that pump your hair are repaired. That’s why if women don’t get enough sleep, they can develop high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes, obesity, and stroke.

Your sleep can even affect your ability to fight off infection. Who knew taking more naps could also help you stay healthy and happy during a pandemic.

Every woman is different. The researchers conducted a massive two-year study with the nation’s leading experts on sleep to arrive at their sleep recommendations. Depending on your current medical conditions, exercise, or activity level you may need more or less sleep each night to function. Typically, women between the ages of 18-86 need 7-9 hours of sleep, and women age 65 and older need 7 – 8 hours of sleep.

Tips for Having Better Seep

So, how did you stack up compared to the sleep experts requirements? Are you getting enough sleep? If you’re not, we’ve got a few suggestions based on medical research that can help you get more hours of restful, uninterrupted sleep!

Set the Mood: Natural light can be an excellent way to wake yourself up in the morning after a great night’s sleep. According to one study, sunlight can also be an effective tool for helping you get to bed on time. Apparently, natural light encourages your body to produce melatonin, the “sleep hormone.” The more melatonin you can produce at night, the easier it’ll be to fall asleep and stay asleep.

When it comes time to go to sleep, get rid of the light! Too much natural light before bedtime can destroy your sleep cycle. If you have bright lights outside of the bedroom window it may be time to invest in some black out curtains or a cozy satin sleep mask. Keep noise to a minimum with a pair of disposable ear plugs in your nightstand. Absolutely, no screens in the room before bedtime! The blue light can keep you up for hours past your bedtime.

Takeaways

Most American’s aren’t getting nearly enough asleep. Trust me, I know it feels like there’s never enough time to get everything done we need to do in a day. You probably can’t even remember the last time you get a full night’s sleep. While I know I can’t wave a magic wand and make all your chores disappear. I can still help! We can identify your sleep goals and take practical steps everyday that get you closer to your sleep goals.

Poor sleeping habits can often be an indicator of other underlying medical conditions like hormonal imbalances. It’s best not to ignore it. Think of it as your body’s way of telling you it’s time to make an appointment with a professional. If you find these tips just aren’t cutting it and you’d like to help getting better sleep give me a call. We can go through a consultation and figure out if you’re actually suffering from a hormonal balance or another medical complication.

If you’re sick of having sleepless and restless nights, give Total health & Wellness a call, today.

AUTHOR

Dr. Roz JacksonDr. Roz Jackson promotes personalized medicine for women. She is the founder of Total Health & Wellness Center for Personalized Medicine, OBGYN LLC. She has been practicing in the area of women’s healthcare for over 20 years. She is a Board Certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist and member of The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, A Fellow of the American Academy of Anti Aging and Regenerative Medicine and member of the Metabolic Medical Institute.

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