Why Sleep Is So Important for Women's Health
- Women's Health
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Sleep is important for maintaining your overall health whether you are a man or a woman, but it turns out that adequate amounts of sleep are especially necessary for women.
Keep reading to learn more about why sleep is so important for women's health, and so you can learn the importance of adjusting your schedule to ensure you get enough sleep to stay well.
Women Become More Prone to Diseases
Research has found that women who do not get enough sleep or who suffer from many sleepless nights actually have a higher risk for a variety of health problems when compared with men. In fact, they found that, in women who did not get a healthy amount of sleep every night, there was a higher risk for depression, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Clearly, this is one reason why sleep is so important for women, as these ailments can ultimately result in a shorter life span.
Women who work night shifts, in particular, often report poor sleep, and they also report more problems than men who work the same hours and shifts. Plus, they are even at an increased risk for miscarriage, shorter menstrual cycles, and breast cancer as a result of the lack of quality sleep.
Being Able to Maintain Focus by Day
Women have a lot of responsibilities to address on a daily basis. In addition to taking care of themselves, they also have to do a lot for their families, whether they have kids or they are taking care of their elderly parents.
All of that caretaking is done in addition to maintaining a career and earning the money that is necessary to make ends meet. So it's no wonder that so many women are stressed and unable to make their minds wind down at night for a restful night's sleep.
Another reason why sleep is so important is that women can't achieve everything that they have set for themselves for the day if they are unable to focus. A lack of sleep will make it difficult to stay focused and energized at work, at home, and even on the road while driving.
Further Research Will Reveal More
Experts already know quite a bit about the necessity to get a good night's sleep, and they also have a good idea of how sleep deprivation affects women differently than men, but more research will be necessary to really determine how sleep affects women, and what can be done to prevent sleep problems in the first place.