Tips To Help Women Get A Better Night’s Sleep (NAPSA)—Women are often faced with balancing the demands of work, family and household responsibilities, which can interfere with getting a good night’s sleep. It’s no wonder that sleep problems affect more women than men. When womendosleep, it tends to be light and easily disturbed. In fact, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, insomnia affects about 40 percent of women compared to only 30 percent of men. Insomniais characterized by difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, poor sleep quality and impairment of next-day function. Symptoms include waking up feeling tired or not well rested, feeling tired during the day, having trouble focusing on tasks and feeling anxious, depressedorirritable. WomenandSleep Manyfactors can influence the quality of women’s sleep, which may change over time. Common factors affecting sleep include: Lifestyle Life events (e.g., loss of a loved one, financial concerns) Poor sleep hygiene (sleep hygiene involves practices that are necessary to have normal, quality nighttime sleep and full daytime alertness) Stress Health * Medical problems (e.g., acid reflux and asthma) Medication use(e.g., antidepressants, antiepileptics, CNS stimulants) Pain conditions (migraine, tension headaches and arthritis conditions are more common among women) Research shows that poor sleep and sleep-related problems are body. For instance, melatonin receptor agonists, the newest class of prescription drugs for sleeprelated problems, work with the body’s normal sleep-wakecycle to initiate sleep, while BZRAs and non-BZRAswork with GABAreceptors in the brain. Your healthcare provider can help further explain the differences between treatment options and Speaking with your healthcare answer questions. insomnia medications can be an important step in finding an appropriate insomnia treatment. insomnia or appropriate treatment provider about prescription more strongly associated with poor health outcomes in women than in men. Not getting enough sleep may cause: * Increased accidents * Increased risk of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease * Poor job performance Trouble concentrating Weight gain It’s important to note that pre- scription insomnia treatments have not been shown to impact these consequences. Getting Help Many treatment options are available for insomnia. In fact, nearly $15 billion is spent each year on healthcare related to sleep problems. Non-prescription treatment options include practicing good sleep hygiene (see adjacent SLEEP Tips), over-the-counter therapies, natural remedies and behavioral therapy. Prescription insomnia medications are available as well, including benzodiazepines (BZRAs), non-BZRA sedative-hypnotics and melatonin receptor agonists. Each type of medication works differently in the For more information about options, please speak to your healthcare provider. SLEEPTips Not sleeping well? Here are some tipson how fo have a more relaxed and comfortable night's sleep: Stick to a sleep schedule. Going to bed and waking up around the same time each day will help reinforce the body's sleep-wake cycle and can help youfall asleep better at night. Lifestyle change. Avoid alcohol and foods/drinks high in caffeineclose to bedtime; and schedule workouts atleast a few hours before bedtime. Establish a relaxing bedtime routine, which can include having a cupof tea, taking a bath or pampering yourself for a good night's sleep. Environmentis key. Create a sleep environmentthatis cool, quiet, dark and comfortable. Prioritize your day. Avoid bringing responsibilities into bed and associate the bed with sleeponly!It’s not a good idea to watchTV listen to the radio or readin bed. @
