Sleep In Women Research Articles

Less Time for Health: Parenting, Work, and Time-Intensive Health Behaviors among Married or Cohabiting Men and Women in the United States.

Time spent working or caring for children may reduce the time available for undertaking time-intensive health behaviors. We test competing perspectives about how work hours and the number of children of specific ages will be associated with married or cohabiting men's and women's sleep duration and physical activity. We use data from the 2004 to 2017 waves of the National Health Interview Survey (N = 154,580). In support of the "time availability" perspective, longer work hours and children of any age are associated with shorter sleep hours. However, in support of the "time deepening" perspective, additional hours of work beyond 40 hours per week and children over the age of five are not associated with reduced physical activity. Contrary to our expectations, we did not find gender differences in support of our theories. Our results suggest that the economy of time works differently for sleep and exercise.

Sleep hours and quality before and after baby: Inequalities by gender and partnership.

While prior studies have examined sleep across the lifecourse, few studies have investigated sleep around the birth of a child, one of the most important events to cause sleep deprivation. This study investigates changes in sleep hours and quality, paying attention to differences by gender and partnership status. Using the UK Household Longitudinal Study, we follow approximately 1,000 participants as they transition into parenthood in a three-year window. We use OLS and logistic regression to analyze changes in sleep hours and sleep quality. Results suggest that women's sleep is reduced by an average of 0.7hours (42min) on becoming a mother. Whilst before parenthood women sleep more than men, after childbirth women and men sleep similar amounts. Cohabiting men experience a greater reduction in sleep by around 0.5hours (30min) than married men, to the level similar to women, suggesting that new cohabiting fathers may experience more sleep disturbances.

Sleep disturbances in pregnancy: features of diagnosis and therapy: A review

Physiological changes during pregnancy often disrupt women's sleep. If these changes are combined with other factors (obesity, iron or magnesium deficiency, anxiety, etc.), the pregnant woman may develop sleep disorders: obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, restless legs syndrome, leg cramps, and insomnia. These disorders increase the risk of pregnancy complications, reduce the quality of a woman's life, and form the basis for somatic and mental disorders in the postpartum period. Therefore, the obstetrician has to be familiar with the phenomenology, diagnosis, and treatment of sleep disorders in pregnant women to treat them promptly or to refer a woman to a neurologist or psychiatrist. This review briefly describes the common sleep disorders occurring in pregnant women, especially the various types of insomnia. The main groups of sedative agents are characterized, of which only doxylamine is acceptable for use in routine practice because of its proven efficacy and safety during pregnancy.

Efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia or sleep disturbance in pregnant women: A systematic review ad meta-analysis.

During pregnancy many women may experience negative emotions and sleep disturbances. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess the efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) or sleep disturbance in pregnant women. From the earliest available publications to 15 April 2022, seven electronic literature databases were searched: PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, and VIP Database for Chinese Science and Technology Journal. Randomised controlled trials of CBT-I in pregnant women with insomnia or sleep disorders were included. The methodological bias of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. The meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software. Stata Statistical Software: Release 15 was used for sensitivity analysis and publication bias. We included eight randomised controlled trials involving 743 pregnant women. Meta-analysis showed that, compared with the control group, CBT-I significantly improved the Insomnia Severity Index (mean difference [MD]=-4.25, 95% confidence interval [CI, -6.32, -2.19], p < 0.001), The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (MD=-3.30, 95% CI [-4.81, -1.79], p < 0.001), sleep onset latency (standardised mean difference [SMD]=-1.25, 95% CI [-2.01, -0.50], p=0.001), anxiety (SMD=-0.99, 95% CI [-1.32, -0.67], p < 0.001), and depression (SMD=-0.40, 95% CI [-0.72, -0.07], p=0.02). No significant differences were found in total sleep time (SMD=0.31, 95% CI [-0.54, 1.17], p=0.47) and sleep efficiency (SMD=0.80, 95% CI [-0.53, 2.13], p=0.24). CBT-I significantly improved pregnant women's sleep quality, insomnia severity, depression, and anxiety. This meta-analysis provides evidence that CBT-I is valid for insomnia or sleep disturbances during pregnancy.

Exploring the Effects of Perceived Stress on the Within-Person Relationships Between Daily Activity Levels and Sleep in Women: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.

Many studies show positive bidirectional associations between physical activity (PA) and sleep at the between-person level. There is an increased interest in investigating these associations at the within-person level. Few studies examined the effects of time-varying moderators on the within-person bidirectional associations between PA and sleep. This study aimed to examine the bidirectional within-person day-level associations between activity levels and self-reported sleep duration and explore the moderating effects of perceived stress on these day-level associations. Data from 158 women that included 7-day free-living monitoring over 4 measurement periods was analyzed using multilevel modeling to explore the moderating effects of daily stress on the bidirectional, within-person associations between activity levels and self-reported sleep duration. Moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and sedentary behavior (SB) were estimated from a waist-worn accelerometer. Self-reported sleep duration and perceived stress were collected by ecological momentary assessment. No significant within-person associations between MVPA minutes and self-reported sleep duration were found in either direction. However, engaging in more MVPA than one's usual level was associated with longer sleep later that night when perceived stress was higher than usual (p = .04). Bidirectional negative within-person association between SB minutes and self-reported sleep duration was found (ps < .01). The negative association between SB and sleep duration later that night was stronger when perceived stress was lower than usual (p = .01). Daily stress played an important role in the day-to-day associations between activity levels and sleep.

The Impact of Aromatherapy with Citrus Aurantium Essential Oil on Sleep Quality in Pregnant Women with Sleep Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

ABSTRACTBackground: Sleep disorders are so prevalent during pregnancy. The present study was conducted to investigate the impact of aromatherapy with Citrus aurantium essential oil on sleep quality in pregnant women with sleep disordersMethods: This randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 68 pregnant women in their 28-34 weeks of pregnancy who sufferred sleep disorders and referred to Jiroft health centers in 2021 (January-June). Those meeting the inclusion criteria were divided into the intervention and placebo groups, using random sequence generated through the randomization website. They were given five drops of Citrus aurantium essential oil and the placebo twice a day, every day for one month in the form of facemasks which they inhaled through normal breathing for 20 minutes. Sleep quality was assessed before the intervention and one month after the start of the intervention. The demographic questionnaire and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used for collecting the data. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 24 software. The Mann–Whitney-U, Wilcoxon and fisher exact tests were carried out. P-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Before the intervention, the mean and standard deviation scores of pregnant women’s sleep quality in the intervention (9.89±3.00) and placebo (8.12±2.53) groups were not significantly different (P=0.10). One month after the intervention, the score was significantly lower in the intervention group (4.37±1.85) than the placebo group (8.48±2.62) (P<0.001).Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, it seems that aromatherapy with Citrus aurantium essential oil enhances the sleep quality in pregnant women with sleep disorders, so it can be used to diminish sleep disorders in these women.Trial Registration Number: IRCT20200512047414N1.

Prospective Associations Between Maternal Depression and Infant Sleep in Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.

BackgroundWomen with gestational diabetes mellitus have higher rates of perinatal depressive symptoms, compared to healthy pregnant women. In the general population, maternal depressive symptoms have been associated with infant sleep difficulties during the first year postpartum. However, there is lack of data on infants of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus.MethodsThis study assessed the prospective associations between maternal perinatal depressive symptoms and infant sleep outcomes. The study population consisted of 95 Swiss women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their infants, enrolled in the control group of the MySweetheart trial (NCT02890693). Perinatal depressive symptoms were assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at the first gestational diabetes mellitus visit during pregnancy, at 6–8 weeks postpartum, and 1 year postpartum. The Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire was used to assess infant sleep (i.e., nocturnal sleep duration, number of night waking, and maternal perception of infant sleep) at 1 year postpartum. Relevant maternal and infant measurements (e.g., infant sex or maternal age or social support) were collected or extracted from medical records as covariates.ResultsAntenatal maternal depressive symptoms at the first gestational diabetes mellitus visit were inversely associated with infant nocturnal sleep duration at 1 year postpartum (β = –5.9, p = 0.046). This association became marginally significant when covariates were added (β = –5.3, p = 0.057). Maternal depressive symptoms at 6–8 weeks postpartum were negatively and prospectively associated with infant nocturnal sleep duration (β = –9.35, p = 0.016), even when controlling for covariates (β = –7.32, p = 0.042). The association between maternal depressive symptoms and maternal perception of infant sleep as not a problem at all was significant at 1 year postpartum (β = –0.05, p = 0.006), although it became non-significant when controlling for appropriate covariates. No other significant associations were found.LimitationsThis study solely included measures derived from self-report validated questionnaires.ConclusionOur findings suggest it is of utmost importance to support women with gestational diabetes mellitus as a means to reduce the detrimental impact of maternal perinatal depressive symptoms on infant sleep, given its predictive role on infant metabolic health.

A Comparison of the Effects of Self-Acupressure and Aerobic Exercises on Sleep Disorders of Breast Cancer Survivors: A Controlled Randomized Clinical Trial.

Breast cancer is the most widespread cancer type, with more than half of the afflicted women suffering from sleep disorders and fatigue, as common complications of the treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of acupressure and aerobic exercises on such women's sleep disorders. This study was carried out on 99 women affected by breast cancer. Participants were divided to acupressure, exercise, and control groups. The acupressure group received the treatment 3 days a week for 8 weeks. The exercise group participated in aerobic exercises 3 times a week for 8 weeks. The control group received routine care in the oncology clinic. Sleep quality was assessed by Pittsburg sleep quality index. The overall score of sleep quality scale in the acupressure and exercise groups was significantly less than that in the control group at weeks 4 (Medical Doctor: 2.7 with 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.67 to 1.12) and 8 (MD: 0.07 with 95% CI: -1.21 to 1.03) of intervention. However, there was no significant difference between the acupressure and exercise groups. The results of this study indicated that both acupressure and exercise methods can be effective and safe methods in reducing sleep disorders of breast cancer survivors and neither is superior to the other.

Building and Realizing the Obstetrics and Gynecology Nursing Management Platform by Computer Information Technology under the Concept of Mindfulness Intervention.

Nursing management of the gynecology department is one of the challenging issues and needed to be resolved through effective utilization of the available technology. In this paper, we are going to address this issue and try to establish an obstetrics and gynecology nursing management platform used to monitor and evaluate the mental health of pregnant women. Firstly, computer information technology is adopted, and the obstetrics and gynecology nursing management system is established. Secondly, after adopting the system to intervene in the mental state of patients with mindfulness, the system timely monitors the pregnant women's physical health indicators and mental health level data. With the help of the computer data analysis system, the obstetrics and gynecology management platform is built to carry out timely mindfulness interventions for pregnant women. The established system can reach high accuracy in identifying negative emotions of pregnant women, and the accuracy can reach 89.7%. It shows that the established system can timely and accurately intervene and regulate the pregnant woman's bad psychological state, effectively improve the pregnant woman's sleep quality during pregnancy, and enhance the pregnant woman's sleep effect. The effectiveness and feasibility of Internet mindfulness interventions for improving sleep quality during pregnancy has been confirmed. This has important practical significance for the digital and intelligent development of the medical care management platform.

Assessing the cooking oil fume exposure impacts on Chinesewomen health: an influential mechanism analysis.

Oil fume is always considered as a major source of indoor air pollution. This article aims toexamine the effects of cooking oil fume as environmental pollution on the health of Chinese women by using the data obtained from China Labor force Dynamic Survey (CLDS). In order to estimate the effect of environmental pollution on the human health, we utilize probit model approach and baseline regressionmethod. The results showed that oil fume has a significant negative impact on the health indicators of "physical pain, health impact on work and injury." By conducting endogeneity analysis, our results show therobustness and indicate that oil fume has a robust effect on thewomen health. Heterogeneity analysis show that heavier oil fume has a negative impact on the subjective health of middle-aged and young women, while it has asignificant negative impact on the objective health of middle-aged women. Analysis of the impact mechanism reveal that heavier oil fumes will reduce women's sleep quality and will leadto thepoorer health. Based on our study findings, this study proposes policy recommendations from the perspectives of the use of smoke extraction equipment, cooking methods, and sleep quality to reduce the negative impact of cooking fumes on women's health.

Lay awake with a racing mind: The associations between sexual objectification, insomnia, and affective symptoms

BackgroundSexual objectification is a form of interpersonal maltreatment that women may experience in daily life. Research has focused on testing how it leads to various psychological distresses. However, little research has examined its influences on women's sleep quality, the underlying psychological mechanisms, and the potential implications for affective symptoms. We addressed this research gap by testing whether sexual objectification predicted perceived stress and insomnia, thereby predicting affective symptoms (i.e., depression and anxiety). We further examined whether sex-is-power beliefs moderated these associations. MethodsParticipants completed validated measures of sex-is-power beliefs, sexual objectification, perceived stress, insomnia, depression, and anxiety. We conducted regression analyses, structural equation modeling, and bootstrapping analyses to test the associations between these psychological constructs. ResultsAs predicted, the results showed that sexual objectification was positively associated with perceived stress, insomnia, and affective symptoms. Moreover, perceived stress and insomnia serially mediated the association between sexual objectification and affective symptoms. Furthermore, sex-is-power beliefs moderated the serial mediation effect, such that the effect was only observed among participants with weak sex-is-power beliefs. ConclusionsThese findings advanced current theories and knowledge of sexual objectification by demonstrating that sexual objectification is associated with perceived stress and insomnia, thereby predicting affective symptoms. The findings also highlighted the role of beliefs in weakening the negative consequences of sexual objectification.

Menopause Induced Depression, Anxiety, Quality of Life, Lack of Sleep in Women: An Overview

Background: Menopause occurs between the ages of 40 and 50, and marks the end of a woman's menstrual cycle. A period of time during which a woman does not have a monthly cycle for more than 12 months is known as post-menopause. Women may suffer challenges in their daily lives during this period, such as depression, anxiety, and sleep loss, all of which can have a negative impact on their quality of life. A decrease in hormone production, such as estrogen and progesterone, can cause menopause. To treat psychological difficulties in menopausal women, drugs such as vortioxetine and paroxetine, as well as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and anti-depressants, were advised.&#x0D; Objective: To evaluate the effects in women how menopause inducing depression, anxiety, quality of life and lack of sleep.&#x0D; Methodology: The recent studies related to the aim of the review were undertaken through a literature search to evaluate the effects in women how menopause inducing depression, anxiety, quality of life and lack of sleep.&#x0D; Conclusion: Menopause, post-menopause, and peri-menopause are age-related causes in women who are going through the menstrual cycle. There is no need for medication during this time, but in severe cases, medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and antidepressants should be administered and also for vaginal dryness and irritation Ospemifene is suggested. Many more clinical researches on the benefits of menopausal compilations will be needed in the future.&#x0D; Keywords: Menopause, post- menopause, depression, estrogen, progesterone

PRENATAL MATERNAL SLEEP

Pregnancy affects women's sleep in many ways. Physical and emotional difficulties, especially towards the end of pregnancy, can lead to sleep disorders. Several studies suggest associations between sleep quality and high blood pressure, diabetes and depression. Sleep deprivation affect both mother and fetus. Sleep disorders are associated with low birth weight, intrauterine growth restriction, premature birth and cesarean births. This paper is a review based on information from the literature. The analysis was limited to articles and guidelines in English published between January 1, 2000 and May 1, 2020 on PubMed, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar using the following keywords: sleep, pregnancy, depression, anxiety, mental health, sleep disorders, pregnant women, interventions, treatment. In this review, we discuss the characteristics of prenatal maternal sleep, hormonal changes during pregnancy and their effects on sleep, the effects of changing sleep patterns on the pregnant woman, and the interventions needed to optimize sleep quality. According to the literature, sleep disorders are significant risk factors for mood disorders. Knowing sleep changes and their effects is useful for informing mothers. Consideration of non-pharmacological treatments and interventions such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness therapy and relaxation exercises can be effective in optimizing the quality of sleep in pregnant women.

Internalized Weight Stigma, Psychological Well-Being, and Sleep in Women.

Many women internalize negative attitudes regarding body shape and size because of the societal standards for women's ideal body shapes and sizes. Internalized weight stigma is related to poorer physical and psychological health. A growing body of research has documented the links between other forms of internalized stigma (e.g., HIV-stigma) and poor sleep quality; however, little research examines the links between internalized weight stigma and sleep or the mechanisms that explain this relationship. Internalized weight stigma may be associated with poor sleep through increases in psychological distress. This study hypothesized that the links between internalized weight stigma and sleep would be mediated by higher levels of depression and anxiety. About 257 women were recruited via social media, word of mouth, and an undergraduate participant pool. Participants completed an online survey assessing various aspects of weight stigma and health through self-report questionnaires. Most women were non-Hispanic White (86.8%) and had a mean age of 31.40. The indirect effects of internalized weight stigma on poorer global sleep quality and daily disturbances through depression and anxiety were significant. In contrast, depressive symptoms but not anxiety explained the links between internalized weight stigma and perceived sleep quality and neither depressive symptoms nor anxiety explained the link between internalized weight stigma and sleep efficiency. Internalized weight stigma is linked to poorer sleep quality, and these links may be explained by psychological well-being. Understanding the mechanisms by which internalized weight stigma is associated with sleep quality can inform the psychological interventions employed.

Sex differences in sleep and influence of the menstrual cycle on women's sleep in junior endurance athletes.

Previous research shows that female athletes sleep better according to objective parameters but report worse subjective sleep quality than male athletes. However, existing sleep studies did not investigate variations in sleep and sleep stages over longer periods and have, so far, not elucidated the role of the menstrual cycle in female athletes' sleep. To address these methodological shortcomings, we investigated sex differences in sleep and sleep stages over 61 continuous days in 37 men and 19 women and examined the role of the menstrual cycle and its phases in 15 women. Sleep was measured by a non-contact radar, and menstrual bleeding was self-reported. Associations were investigated with multilevel modeling. Overall, women tended to report poorer subjective sleep quality (p = .057), but objective measurements showed that women obtained longer sleep duration (p < .001), more light (p = .013) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM; hours (h): p < .001, %: p = .007), shorter REM latency (p < .001), and higher sleep efficiency (p = .003) than men. R2 values showed that sleep duration, REM and REM latency were especially affected by sex. Among women, we found longer time in bed (p = .027) and deep sleep (h: p = .036), and shorter light sleep (%: p = .021) during menstrual bleeding vs. non-bleeding days; less light sleep (h: p = .040), deep sleep (%: p = .013) and shorter REM latency (p = .011) during the menstrual than pre-menstrual phase; and lower sleep efficiency (p = .042) and more deep sleep (%: p = .026) during the follicular than luteal phase. These findings indicate that the menstrual cycle may impact the need for physiological recovery, as evidenced by the sleep stage variations. Altogether, the observed sex differences in subjective and objective sleep parameters may be related to the female athletes' menstrual cycle. The paper provides unique data of sex differences in sleep stages and novel insights into the role of the menstrual cycle in sleep among female athletes.

Impacts of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia and Pain on Sleep in Women with Gynecologic Malignancies: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT Insomnia is an adverse cancer outcome impacting mood, pain, quality of life, and mortality in cancer patients. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for diverse psychophysiological disorders, including pain and insomnia. Primarily studied in breast cancer, there is limited research on CBT within gynecology oncology. This study examined CBT effects on subjective and behavioral sleep outcomes: Sleep Efficiency (SE), Sleep Quality (SQ), Total Wake Time (TWT), Sleep Onset Latency (SOL), and Wake After Sleep Onset (WASO). Thirty-five women with insomnia status/post-surgery for gynecologic cancer were randomized to CBT for insomnia and pain (CBTi.p., N = 18) or Psychoeducation (N = 17). Sleep was assessed via sleep diaries and wrist-worn actigraphy at baseline (T1), post-intervention (T2), and two-month follow-up (T3). Intent-to-treat analyses utilizing mixed linear modeling examined longitudinal group differences on sleep controlling for age and advanced cancer. All participants demonstrated improved (1) subjective SE (0.5, p < .01), SOL (−1.2, p < .01), TWT (−1.2, p < .01), and (2) behavioral SE (0.1, p = .02), TWT (−1.2, p = .03), WASO (−0.8, p < .01) across time. Group-level time trends were indicative of higher subjective SE (6.8, p = .02), lower TWT (−40.3, p = .01), and lower SOL (−13.0, p = .05) in CBTi.p. compared to Psychoeducation. Supplemental analyses examining clinical significance and acute treatment effects demonstrated clinical improvements in SE (T1), TWT (T2, T3), and SOL (T3). Remaining effects were not significant. Despite lacking power to detect interaction effects, CBTi.p. clinically improved sleep in women with gynecologic cancers and insomnia during the active treatment phase. Future research will focus on developing larger trials within underserved populations.

Note on Quality Sleep in Women's

Note on Quality Sleep in Women's

Various Types of Perceived Job Discrimination and Sleep Health Among Working Women: Findings From the Sister Study.

Job discrimination, a social stressor, may lead to sleep health disparities among workers; yet, limited research has examined this relationship and specific sources of job discrimination. We used a US sample of working women (n=26,085), participants in the Sister Study (2008-2016), to examine the associations of perceived job discrimination due to sex, race, age, health conditions, and/or sexual orientation with sleep health. Cross-sectionally, linear or logistic regression models revealed that each source of job discrimination was independently associated with different sleep problems after controlling for other sources of job discrimination. Longitudinally, among participants without short sleep (<7 hours/night) at time 1 (2012-2014), age-specific job discrimination was associated with 21% increased odds of new-onset short sleep (odds ratio = 1.21, 95% confidence interval: 1.03, 1.43) at time 2 (2014-2016). Among those without insomnia symptoms at time 1, race-specific job discrimination was associated with 37% increased odds of new-onset insomnia symptoms (odds ratio = 1.37, 95% confidence interval: 1.07, 1.75) at time 2. Sex- and health-specific job discrimination also predicted new-onset sleepiness. There were dose-response relationships such that a greater number of sources of job discrimination (≥3) was associated with greater odds of prevalent and incident sleep problems. Perceived job discrimination may contribute to working women's poor sleep health over time, raising concerns about sleep health disparities emanating from the workplace.

Sleep Health in Women of Childbearing Age.

The concept of sleep health (adequate sleep duration and continuity, regular timing, satisfaction with sleep, and ability to maintain wakefulness during the day) is consistent with a definition of health as more than the absence of disease. Yet past research on women's sleep focused primarily on biological influences (e.g., hormonal fluctuations) or specific sleep disorders. We reviewed the literature on sleep health in women of childbearing age from the perspectives of health promotion and the social ecological model and identified needs for future research and intervention. At least 40% of women of childbearing age report inadequate sleep, and sleep is associated with short- and long-term health and performance outcomes. Numerous sociodemographic, psychosocial, role, familial, and community factors contribute to sleep, but few studies have addressed the contributions of these factors to sleep health in women of childbearing age, aside from those who are pregnant. Understanding these factors may assist in identifying women at particular risk for sleep difficulty; some may be modifiable, and other may signal the need for sleep interventions tailored to specific circumstances. Low-income women and those in ethnic and racial minority groups are at particular risk for disparities in sleep health. There is a need for research that addresses these factors and the development of interventions at the individual, family, and community levels to promote sleep health. Screening and intervention to promote health sleep and decrease sleep difficulty should be a standard of care in clinical, community, and workplace settings frequented by women.

Relationship Between the Level of Pain and Quality of Sleep in Women After a Cesarean-section

Relationship Between the Level of Pain and Quality of Sleep in Women After a Cesarean-section