Why Women Have Bad Sleep - Study

You finally flop into bed after an exhausting day. You desperately try to fall sleep but you can't. The more you look at the clock, the more anxious you become about not being able to sleep.

You are not alone. According to the Sleep Health Foundation, around one in three Australians suffer from mild insomnia.

What is insomnia?

There are three basic elements that can occur in any combination in insomnia. These include difficulty falling asleep (sleep-onset insomnia); difficulty staying asleep, including waking up too early (sleep-maintenance insomnia); and poor-quality, fragmented sleep.

What causes insomnia?

There are a variety of medical, psychological, neurological, environmental and behavioural conditions that can contribute to insomnia.

Not only is this debilitating epidemic on the rise across the age groups and sexes, for women there is a slightly darker reality.

There are proven links between sleep disturbances and adult women. These are associated with the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause, due to the monthly variation of female reproductive hormones, particularly progesterone and oestrogen.

Women of reproductive age report more sleep disturbances during the premenstrual week and first few days of menstruation. These disorders can include both hypersomnia (excessive sleepiness during the day) and a premenstrual night or two of insomnia. You can read about suggestions specific to PMS insomnia here or consult your GP.

Debbie Martinez is a 36-year-old stay-at-home mum to three children under six in Sydney's Peakhurst. Since the birth of her second daughter three years ago, she has become unnaturally accepting of the fact that she is constantly tired.

"I honestly can't remember the last time I jumped out of bed full of energy. With a husband, three kids, a cat and a dog, I really don't have time to think about how tired I am," she says.

"I'm a shocking sleeper. By the time I clean up after dinner, organise baths and get the kids down for the night, I'll sit on the couch to watch some TV or unwind with a book and the next minute, I wake up and it's around 3am.

"I drag myself into bed and usually just lie there wide awake, cursing the clock and staring at the ceiling, then I'm up at 5.30 getting my husband ready for work and my day starts all over again.

"It's a vicious circle, it's affecting my health, my patience and my relationship with my husband. I can't go on like this," she says.

Janine Blakey, a part-time medical receptionist from Tingalpa in Brisbane, feels the same. The recently divorced 52-year-old put her insomnia down to the stress of her break-up but was shocked when a GP at her practise suggested there was more going on.

"One of the GPs explained to me that women are much more likely to experience insomnia, thanks to hormonal shifts during our menstrual cycle or during the onset of menopause [perimenopause]," she says. "Because I'm not suffering the hot flushes yet, it didn't even cross my mind.

"She explained that sleep difficulties are linked to hormonal changes - and our risk of depression is even higher during menopause, which can exacerbate the insomnia."

How to sleep better?

The experts recommend that we get between seven and eight hours of good shut-eye every night. This isn't always possible, so what can we do to improve the quality of our sleep?

There are several steps to help increase productive sleep time, according to sleep specialist, Dr Sean Tolhurst.
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"It is important to establish and maintain a routine prior to bed - relaxing activity, brush teeth, put on pyjamas, hop into bed, turn light off, go to sleep," he says.

"Avoid caffeine, alcohol, cigarettes, vigorous exercise in the hours before sleep, and ensure medical conditions that could impact on sleep are adequately treated.

"Switch off mobile phones and avoid technology before bed - not only does this stimulate your mind, but also acts as a distraction from sleep. All clocks should be turned away from viewing - clock watching does not help you get a good night sleep!"

If you think you may be suffering from insomnia or another sleep related ailment, a visit to your GP is recommended.

Source: monashweekly.com.au

First Non-Hormonal Treatment Brisdelle For Hot Flashes Approved By FDA; Contains SSRI Paxil

Taken once daily, a medication containing a low dose of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) was shown effective in reducing hot flashes in menopausal women.

Rising from the chest, a warmth flashes throughout the upper body reaching full intensity within a minute, fading gradually before several more set in — a metronome signalling a new beginning in a woman's life.

The age of menopause, and the onset of potentially miserable hot flashes, varies greatly from developing to developed world, with the average American woman beginning the years-long transition at age 49.

Although researchers don't fully understand the mechanisms of the heat flashes, a body of evidence implicates reduced levels of estrogen as the primary cause. This in turn gives rise to changes in the brain's hypothalamus, which functions as the body's thermostat, causing a change in body temperature. Most drug therapies on the market treat the symptoms of menopause by attempting to restore a former hormonal balance with estrogen or a combination of estrogen and progestin, the synthetic form of the hormone progesterone.

However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Saturday announced approval for the first non-hormonal treatment for vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause, a therapy containing the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) paroxetine mesylate, marketed by the name Brisdelle.

The new medication is intended to offer a non-hormonal treatment for the 75 percent of menopausal women who experience the discomforting symptoms, which may persist for five years, or even longer for some women.

"There are a significant number of women who suffer from hot flashes associated with menopause and who cannot or do not want to use hormonal treatments," Dr. Hylton V. Joffe, director of the Division of Bone, Reproductive, and Urologic Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Today's approval provides women with the first FDA-approved, non-hormonal therapeutic option to help ease the hot flashes that are so common in menopause."

The medication contains 7.5 milligrams of paroxetine, less than the amount used in medications such as Paxil and Pexeva for the treatment of major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Even with a lower dose of paroxetine, the menopause therapy carries a warning of increased suicidality that has been shown in children and young adults. The most common side effects associated with Brisdelle, however, are headache, fatigue, and nausea.

The therapy was tested for safety and efficacy in two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in a total of 1,175 women with moderate to severe menopausal symptoms, which varied from 7-8 instances of hot flashes per week to 50-60 in the most aggravated cases.

In the two studies, the therapy was shown effective in reducing the symptoms of hot flashes, though researchers have little idea why.

Source: medicaldaily.com

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