Although women suffer more from loss of sleep, they are less likely than men to seek help, and are often not diagnosed and treated properly by the medical profession. Women are more likely to suffer depression as a result of the lack of sleep. Women's sleep problems affect their work, their sex lives, and their social lives negatively.

Women lose sleep because of their role in the family and the demands of today's 24/7 world. Some of those yawns can be blamed on the complexity of modern women's lives-they're workers, wives, mothers and caregivers to elderly parents-all of which add up to stress and anxiety that doesn't stop when the lights go out. For those mothers who work, three quarters of them always feel tired.

Another culprit behind women's sleep difficulties can be fluctuating hormone levels. With optimal levels of estrogen and progesterone in your system, the time it takes to fall asleep and the number of awakenings during the night decrease. But hormone fluctuations occur for many reasons, including monthly menstrual cycles, use of birth control pills, pregnancy, perimenopause (the two to eight years before and up to one year after menstrual periods end) and menopause.

The effects of estrogen on sleep are numerous and complicated. Estrogen tends to decrease sleep latency, decrease the number of awakenings after sleep occurs, and increase total sleep time. The number of arousals doubles during the luteal (low estrogen) phase of the menstrual cycle. Temperature regulation in the body is also influenced by estrogen; low levels are associated with increases in both peripheral and central temperature, resulting in the hot flashes characteristic of menopause.

The effects of progesterone on sleep are also marked but more straightforward. Progesterone peaks sharply during the mid-luteal phase of a normal menstrual cycle and then drops before menses. These changes are associated with increased arousals and other sleep difficulties.

Insomnia is a complex of symptoms consisting of difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing non-refreshing sleep that result in daytime consequences that significantly impact productivity and quality of life. Up to one third of Americans suffer from some form of insomnia with approximately 10% having chronic insomnia.

Long-term insomnia can cause a series of problems. According to studies, middle-aged women who sleep only five hours every night are more likely to suffer from heart disease than those who sleep eight hours. Insomnia will increase feelings of hunger, thereby affecting the metabolism and keeping women from staying fit. If women sleep less than six hours and it is accompanied by excessive dreams, especially nightmares, they can be sleepy, light-headed, scatter-brained and even get angry without any reason the next day.

Insomnia is also one of the most common complaints of patients with depression, and it may also be a factor in developing or sustaining depression. Clinically there is little doubt that major depression and insomnia are closely interlinked. Other effects of insomnia on women are that it can also speed up the rate your skin ages, and suggestions are that it can even possibly increase the risk of breast cancer. But unfortunately, many women do not yet realize that insomnia can negatively affect them in so many ways.

Sleep is perhaps the most fundamental cycle that the human body has, since it is when your mind processes the day's events, your body renews its immune system, and your mind and body are rejuvenated. Your sleep cycles are also something that your body is most particular about--your moods are only one of many things that are thrown off by an irregular sleep cycle.

However, even if we are aware of this fact, in today s society it s no wonder we can t sleep. Sleep equals doing nothing, and doing nothing is such a low priority that we are way out of practice. Sure, we want slumber, need it, even crave it. But because we can t work, buy things or communicate while we do it, hence we feel it has very little relevance to our lives.

But that is such the wrong way to think.

Sound sleep is far more than a good night's rest; it represents the benefits of health and a healthy lifestyle. After all, it's a third of your life; it MUST be important.

Despite the toll that sleeplessness takes on their lives, women refuse to slow down. Instead almost 80 percent said they cope with caffeine drinks. And while they don't take time off from work or cut back on home duties, they do sacrifice time with friends and family and stop eating a healthy diet.

You need to take command of your sleep time. Without your health you have nothing.

Even if your insomnia is stress-induced, you CAN beat it. You deserve to find restful sleep without side effects. It s not as difficult as you might think. All it takes is finding a way to restore your body s natural sleep cycle, you definitely don t need to take those dangerous and addictive pills. You just need to retrain your mind to re-enter a deep a restful sleep. When you have the facts, it s like the saying goes everthing s easy when you know how .
By: Beth Montana