Disease Related Sleeplessness
Disease based Insomnia:
A number of diseases pose problems in getting good sleep. Proper Treatment of the disease restores good sleep. Following are certain very frequently encountered diseases which affect the natural sleep of women:
Acid reflux, Arthritis, Asthma, Back pain, Epilepsy, Fibro-myalgia, Multiple sclerosis and Parkinsonia diseases.
Pregnancy
During Pregnancy and after child birth there are extreme changes in woman’s body due to additional task of child bearing initiated supported by the regular secretions of endocrine hormones. These changes are physical, hormonal and emotional. All of them contribute to insomnia in the woman. Although it is night outside, but the fetus in the uterus is growing day and night. Many times movements of the fetus in the uterus disturb sleep of the woman.
Majority of pregnant women feel fatigue during day time although they get increased sleep, which is not normal. As the pregnancy progresses the refreshing properties of their sleep becomes worse day by day. Presence of Physical uneasiness and increased awakening become a common occurrence. The onset third trimester is very hard to bear with increased sleepless ness.
It has been observed that snoring gets increased when there is pregnancy. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) gets developed with the progress of pregnancy. The alarm signs of OSA become highly felt with gasping, choking noise and pause of breathing. There are many chances for OSA to show up in a woman who has a higher body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy.
Two other sleep disorders that are more common during pregnancy are restless legs syndrome (RLS) and sleep related leg cramps. RLS affects nearly 25 percent of pregnant women. RLS may be related to low iron. So women who must take iron supplements during pregnancy may have a lower risk of RLS. Leg cramps occur in about 40 percent of pregnant women. They tend to go away after delivery.
Menopause
The hormonal and physical changes that occur during and after menopause can affect a woman’s sleep. Sleep disturbances are more common, and sleep quality can decline. Insomnia related to menopause often occurs.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is much more common in postmenopausal women. This increase may be due in part to menopause-related weight gain. But it also appears to be hormone related. Estrogen seems to help protect women against OSA.
Fibromyalgia often develops due to menopause. Eighty percent of people with fibromyalgia are women. It peaks between the ages of 50 and 70 years. Widespread pain related to fibromyalgia can make it hard to sleep well. Restless legs syndrome (RLS) and sleep related leg cramps are more common as women age. But this increase is not linked directly to menopause.
Sleeplessness linked with a disease is discussed below:
Majority of women are having a specific sleep disorder, which goes undiagnosed and untreated:
Insomnia
Insomnia is a disease related to a person’s difficulty in going to sleep or remaining asleep. The person gets up much before enjoying full sleep and lacks freshness. It is a very usual sleep disorder found usually in women due to depression, work related stress or anxiety.
Obstructive sleep apnea
There is discontinuation of breathing occurring when tissue behind throat looses muscular strength causing block of the airway during sleep. It can also be associated with heart failure, hypertension, stroke and diabetes.
Snoring
Snoring is caused during sleep, when breathing makes vibration of tissue behind throat. Habit based snoring is found in 25 % of women. Regular strong snoring is a warning signal of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Restless legs syndrome
RLS pertains to excessive feeling for moving legs. This increases during night or the moment one lies or sits still and is stops after some walking. It is twice more in women as compared to men. Normal sleep gets disturbed.
Sleep related eating disorder
SRED pertains to repeatedly eating some thing or drinking after getting up at night. It occurs in partial awakening state majority of the sufferers are women.
Leg cramps
Leg cramps during sleep is more commonly found in women. There is sudden and intensive feeling of pain of leg.
Nightmares
It is a horrible dream causing a wake up from sleep. A nightmare disorder develops if there are repeated episodes of nightmares causing disturbed emotions. Repeated episodes results in sleep evading. It has also linkage to depression and suicidal tendencies. Nightmares are more frequent in women than in men.