Although most people need seven to nine hours of sleep each night to function well the next day, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) found that the average woman, age 30-60, sleeps only six hours and forty-one minutes during the workweek.
Another NSF poll of adults revealed that women are more likely than men to have difficulty falling and staying asleep and to experience more daytime sleepiness at least a few nights or days a week. Research has shown that too little sleep results in daytime sleepiness, increased accidents, problems concentrating, poor performance on the job and in school, and possibly, increased sickness and weight gain.
“Getting the right amount of sleep is vital, but just as important is the quality of your sleep,” said Marsha Edmonds, Manager of Saint Anthony’s Sleep Lab. “Biological conditions unique to women, like the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause, can affect how well a woman sleeps. This is because the changing levels of hormones that a woman experiences throughout the month and over her lifetime, like estrogen and progesterone, have an impact on sleep. Understanding the effects of these hormones, environmental factors and lifestyle habits can help women enjoy a good night’s sleep.”
Untreated sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, heart disease, stroke, depression, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Sleep problems can take many forms and can involve too little sleep, too much sleep or inadequate quality of sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders, yet is often undiagnosed. People who have sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during sleep because their airway collapses. A sleep study at Saint Anthony’s Sleep Lab will determine if a patient has sleep apnea and what treatment should be used. But sleep apnea is not the only ailment found in a sleep study.
“Another common problem that goes undiagnosed is restless leg syndrome, or RLS,” said Marsha. “RLS is characterized by an overwhelming urge to move the legs when they are at rest. Symptoms of RLS are most severe in the evening and nighttime hours and can profoundly disrupt a patient's sleep and daily life. RLS is commonly unrecognized or misdiagnosed as insomnia or other neurological, muscular or orthopedic conditions.”
One of the most important findings of a sleep study is rating the stage of sleep a person is reaching. According to Marsha, a person is only getting restorative sleep if they are reaching stages three and four.
“REM sleep, or rapid eye movement sleep, first occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep and increases throughout the night,” said Marsha. “This is necessary for providing energy to the brain and body. A person’s body becomes immobile and relaxed and muscles shut down. Breathing and heart rate may become irregular. This is important to daytime performance and may contribute to memory consolidation.”
To make an appointment for a sleep study or for more information about sleep disorders, please call 618/474-6450.
Saint Anthony's Health Center is a 200-bed health care organization with dual campuses-Saint Anthony’s Hospital and Saint Clare’s Hospital- encompassing specialized inpatient and outpatient services. With over 150 physicians on its Medical Staff, Saint Anthony's Health Center offers a free physician referral service for the community: 618/463-1234.