Insomnia is a disorder of sleep, its duration and quality. An absolutely healthy person can face this problem. But as statistics show, insomnia occurs much more often in women than in men. And the reasons for its manifestation should be understood, because this will help eliminate it or prevent its occurrence in the future.

How does insomnia manifest?

In order for the body to function, it needs rest. Therefore, sleep is a very important process, and its prolonged absence or deterioration in quality will directly affect a person’s well-being. This may not happen immediately, but over time.

Insomnia can manifest itself as a complete lack of sleep or partial. It is characterized by:

• The time to fall asleep becomes long. It may take several hours.
• Sleep is short, intermittent, superficial.
• Early rise.

If a person rarely encounters all this, then he may not notice any changes. But the body will not be grateful for regular lack of sleep. Therefore, the problem should begin to be solved by studying the causes that contribute to the development of insomnia. At a certain age they may be different.

Women under 30 years old

Young girls have sleep problems extremely rarely. After all, at a young age, their body works like a clock and, as a rule, produces the required amount of hormones, including melatonin. It is he who is responsible for regulating circadian rhythms.

If sleep problems arise before the age of 30, their causes may be:

• Sitting for long periods in front of the TV or computer monitor. In the second case, the problem arises due to the fact that a large amount of unnecessary information overloads the nervous system, making it difficult for the body to cope with overexcitation. Artificial lighting on the monitor screen adds fuel to the fire. The human brain receives a signal that it is not time to sleep yet.
• Pregnancy. During the period of bearing a child, hormonal changes and other changes occur in the body of the expectant mother. All this can cause excessive irritability, anxiety, and depression. And they can provoke insomnia.

Women from 30 to 40 years old

Despite the fact that the maximum level of melatonin production is reached at the age of 18, after which it gradually decreases, even at the age of 40 the levels can be within the normal range. Therefore, the causes of insomnia in women at this age are usually psychological in nature:

• Experiences associated with problems of a personal or professional nature. At the age of 30–40, many representatives of the fair sex may encounter a misunderstanding of matured children and aging parents. Relatives require a lot of attention, and sometimes you have to solve their problems. Difficulties may also arise in work situations. Some women experience all this quite difficult, think a lot, stress themselves out and, as a result, are faced with the fact that the thoughts in their heads prevent them from falling asleep.
• Middle age crisis. Of course, it may not affect everyone, but most people claim that they know about it firsthand. Since women are overly emotional and sensitive, they tend to encounter such a concept as a “midlife crisis” more often than men. Some of them realize that they have not lived their lives correctly, and they begin to hastily change everything they can - their jobs, husbands, friends, life positions. These changes affect your mental state and can cause insomnia.

Important! Insomnia with PMS for women can be as common a symptom as drowsiness, breast tenderness, heaviness in the stomach or irritability. As a rule, as soon as premenstrual syndrome passes, sleep improves.

Women from 40 to 50 years old

For women at this age, sleep disturbances are quite common. After 40 years, the body begins to age, restructuring occurs in it, more and more women are faced with insomnia, The reasons for the appearance of which can be not only psychological, but also physiological:

• At this time, the sleep hormone is produced in insufficient quantities to ensure proper, long rest. This is why insomnia may occur.
• The production of female hormones is disrupted, resulting in menopause and menopause, accompanied by certain symptoms, which can also cause poor sleep.
• Against the background of hormonal instability, physical and mental condition worsens.
• Problems of a psychological nature that worry a woman (problems in the family, at work, worries about her age).

Women 50 years and older

In women over 50 years of age, problems with sleep disorders only get worse. This is due to the fact that as the years go by, the body does not get any younger. Older people take everything too seriously, they are very suspicious. For women over 50, healthy sleep is of great importance. Problems with its duration and quality may arise as a result of:

• Instability of psycho-emotional state.
• Taking medications.
• The appearance of age-related diseases.
• Minimizing physical and mental activity.

How to solve a problem

Faced with the fact that sleep problems have been observed for more than 2 weeks, it is important to understand what caused them and how to treat insomnia. Naturally, you can seek help from a specialist who can recommend effective medications. You can also discuss with him traditional methods of combating insomnia.

Preventative goals to help promote healthy sleep:

• Create conditions in the room suitable for sleeping - normalize the temperature, humidity, ventilate the room before going to bed, make sure that the bed is comfortable and the bed linen is pleasant to the body.
• Before going to bed, it is recommended to take a walk in the fresh air, listen to calm music, and take a relaxing bath.
• It is better to stop watching TV, and you can replace it by listening to calm music.
• You shouldn't eat too much before going to bed. The optimal time between the last meal and getting ready for bed is 3 hours.
• It is necessary to develop a schedule for getting ready for bed and waking up. You should go to sleep and wake up at approximately the same time, regardless of whether it is a weekday or a weekend.

There are many methods to combat insomnia. All of them are effective and harmless for women and men.

popular folk methods:

• Warm milk with honey is not only effective, but also tasty. Half an hour before bedtime, you should warm a glass of milk to a temperature of 37 degrees and add a teaspoon of honey to it.
• Herbal teas. You can prepare them from medicinal herbs that tone, soothe and help you relax - chamomile, mint, lemon balm.
• Relaxing baths before bed with the addition of milk, honey, essential oils - soothe and set you up for sleep.
• Rose or lavender essential oil can be used for aromatherapy. For example, a few drops of oil can be dropped into an aroma lamp, evaporator, or simply on a handkerchief left under the pillow overnight.

Attention! There is a rather interesting method with which you can get rid of sleep problems. This is Sytin’s mood. It is recommended to read or listen to them recorded an hour before bedtime.

These are not all the methods that can help you get rid of sleep problems. If they fail to cure insomnia, you should resort to drug treatment after preliminary consultation with a doctor. He will figure out why women's insomnia occurs and how you can establish healthy sleep.

Did you know that almost half of our population (we are talking exclusively about adults) suffers from insomnia. There are about 45% of such martyrs. And, despite the fact that the problem is urgent, few people pay due attention to it. Very in vain. Indeed, in reality, behind insomnia lies a dangerous enemy that can significantly harm your health.
This is especially true for representatives of the fair half. Alas, insomnia has become a dangerous friend for many girls. What are the reasons? Insomnia is especially common in women, and its causes vary. You need to understand that at the first signs of this disorder you need to immediately adjust your lifestyle.

Let's consider the following important questions:

Is it possible to cope with insomnia on your own?
What causes it?
What are the causes of insomnia?

For women, this “insidious friend” takes away youth, strength, and health. This is always worth remembering when, once again, without enough sleep, you decide to put aside the solution to an important issue of getting rid of a problem. Unfortunately, an irresponsible attitude towards your own health can lead to the fact that you will have to seek help from a qualified doctor

Causes of insomnia in women

Among the most common causes underlying insomnia are:
pregnancy;
hormonal imbalances;
conflict situations at work;
problems in personal life;
depression, stress, apathy;
working different shifts;
long-term diet;
time zone change;
drinking alcohol before bed;
abuse of products containing caffeine (meaning chocolate, teas, coffee);
frequent visits to entertainment establishments at night;
physical discomfort caused by an uncomfortable mattress or pillow;
heat indoors;
extraneous noise in the room;
painful sensations caused by lung pathologies, mental disorders, apnea, gastrointestinal disorders, neuralgia, Pickwick syndrome;
uncontrolled use of drugs.

Everyone understands that insomnia deprives her of vitality. Sleep disruption leads to irritability: you want to lie down during the day and sleep, but when this is not possible, the situation gets out of control: the woman gets upset and angry. It’s clear that you won’t be able to take a nap at work or on public transport. Therefore, many people drink coffee, which further aggravates the situation.

Modern life is full of stress. But you need to learn to live in such situations. Conflicts in the family and at work should not be allowed to affect women’s health. Interestingly, even positive emotions can provoke insomnia. Therefore, all a woman can do is learn to manage her emotions, learn to control violent outbursts of feelings. A calm attitude towards everything that happens is a guarantee that you will be of high quality

Methods to combat insomnia

The life of any modern woman is replete with different events. You need to have time to raise children, please your beloved spouse, build a career, and perform a number of responsibilities around the house. It is necessary to clearly understand that if you do not get enough sleep, you will not have to hope for a successful start and continuation of the new day.

The best preventative tips, or how to get rid of insomnia faster:

Dose the information you receive. We live in a world where we are literally surrounded by information flows from all sides: newspapers, the Internet, mass media, radio, television, etc.

It’s very easy to drown in such an ocean of information and scoop up a handful of unpleasant emotions, but falling asleep in a situation where your head is overflowing with information is extremely difficult.

Don't overeat at night. Dinner should be light, 3 hours before bedtime.

Forget about coffee at night. This much-loved drink can disrupt your daily routine, pushing back the long-awaited moment of falling asleep by a couple of hours. You can “get sick” of insomnia by regularly drinking 3 cups of strong coffee.

No alcohol at night. Of course, alcoholic drinks relax you, but more often they keep you awake or make you wake up in the middle of the night.

Take a walk This advice can be heard from many doctors and a variety of specialists. The question is, why are only a few following him?

Don't watch TV or surf the Internet an hour before bed. Give your brain a rest.

Develop a pleasant bedtime routine. Some people like to read before bed, others love to lie in a hot bath, and others want to meditate.

Follow a daily routine: get up and go to bed at the same time.

If you continue to go to bed tired and in a bad mood, insomnia is unlikely to pass you by. It is very difficult to fall asleep in an emotionally unstable state. So make the process of retreating into the arms of Morpheus a pleasant experience.

Here are some additional tips:
buying nice pajamas;
eliminating distractions;
purchasing a comfortable bed;
airing the room before going to bed;
the presence of thick curtains.

And the main advice: go to bed grateful that your day was not in vain. This will allow you to switch your brain from work or family problems to a pleasant environment. Instead of scrolling through complex tasks in your head, it is better to surrender to tender feelings and pleasant memories. Alternatively, you can plan a little for your upcoming vacation at sea. Better yet, just drink delicious herbal tea or a traditional glass of hot milk with natural honey and go to bed.

Of course, if your insomnia appears solely due to a hormonal imbalance, then it makes sense to seek professional help from a specialist. The fair half of humanity, unlike the representatives of the stronger half, often suffers from sleep disorders due to the influence of hormones. The reason may be hidden in hypo- and hyperthyroidism, estrogen deficiency, and menopause. In this case, it is better for women to ask for help from an experienced endocrinologist. If necessary, he will prescribe hormone replacement therapy and prescribe the necessary sleeping pills or sedatives - he will do everything so that insomnia will finally leave you behind.

Sweet things come to those who are ready to receive them. Remember this! Therefore, you should not think that frequent night vigils will become your eternal life companion. You can even fight chronic insomnia. The main thing is to do it correctly and wisely. Remember, insomnia can be treated in both men and women. Good night!

We can talk about insomnia when falling asleep lasts more than half an hour, there is a sleep deficit (sleep from the time spent in bed is less than 85%) and such disorders recur at least 3 times a week.

Insomnia does not include conditions in which a person lacks sleep for social reasons (urgent work, small child, sick relatives) or cases where the individual need for sleep is less than generally accepted.

Insomnia occurs for two reasons - external and internal.

External causes of insomnia in women are most often poor sleep hygiene and stress.

Sleep hygiene includes following simple rules:

• it makes sense to lie in bed without sleep for more than 15 minutes; a longer stay, and especially dozing, reduces the duration and depth of sleep;
• getting up at the same time - both on weekdays and on weekends; the habit of sleeping off on holidays leads to long-term difficulty falling asleep;
• there should be no clock in the bedroom so that there is no temptation to constantly control the time;
• do not smoke at night and do not drink alcohol before bed - falling asleep quickly after drinking causes rebound insomnia;
• exercise no later than 6 hours before going to bed;
• a heavy dinner or hunger are equally harmful; the best snack before bed is kefir with cookies or a piece of boiled meat;
• not to be afraid of insomnia, but in the absence of sleep, do something useful - finish reading a book or watch a calm movie.

Internal causes of insomnia are associated with breathing disorders during sleep, which occurs in the elderly, and disorders of the circadian (daily) rhythms or biological clock.

Sleep consists of 2 phases - fast and slow. Sleep is a special state of consciousness when different brain structures are activated at different times. The fast phase is the time for processing daily information, the slow phase is the restoration of energy costs. For proper rest, at least 5 cycles are required, consisting of fast and slow phases. Each person's need for sleep is different; physiological duration is considered to be from 5 to 12 hours.

Women over 50 are more likely to experience REM sleep disturbances (). This is falling asleep early, then sleeping briefly and waking up in the early morning or at the end of the night. With this disorder, there is always evening sleepiness, when it is almost impossible to stay awake.

Young girls often suffer from slow phase disorders. This manifests itself in the fact that sleep comes after midnight, and in the morning it is almost impossible to wake up on time.

Why do girls have insomnia?

Based on statistical data, it was found that young and middle-aged women need from 7 to 9 hours to maintain health. If a girl sleeps less than 6 hours a day, she begins to get sick.

18 years is the age when the body produces maximum amounts of melatonin, or the main sleep hormone. By the age of 20, its amount decreases, decreasing significantly after 60 years.

If you follow physiological laws, then girls should sleep peacefully for the time allotted to them by nature. However, the number of girls who are bothered by insomnia is growing every year. At best, this problem is recognized, and at worst, girls deny the very existence of insomnia. For many, “compensatory” sleep on weekends, falling asleep in transport or while studying has become the norm.

The cause of insomnia among young girls is the craze for gadgets and the constant desire to be online.

Under natural conditions, the alternation of sleep and wakefulness is determined by the change of day and night. The fading daylight stimulates the production of melatonin to help a person fall asleep. If there is no darkness, then sleep can only occur in an overly tired and exhausted person.

Young girls standing in front of a glowing gadget screen inhibit the production of their own melatonin. In addition, the brain receives a continuous stream of information, unsystematic and diverse. Whatever pours from the screen, the brain must systematize it and somehow process it. This work excites many structures, and after turning off the gadget, sleep does not occur for a long time.

Many people consider surfing the Internet a vacation. This is truly a vacation if your stay does not exceed 30-40 minutes. When traveling for a longer period of time, the brain is overloaded with information that has nothing to do with real life. The brain has to process and store absolutely everything it encounters until needed.

The brain does not separate information into necessary and meaningless. We then have to live with what we thoughtlessly “pushed” into our brain. An abundance of unnecessary information can lead not only to insomnia, but also to neuroses, vegetative dystonia and other troubles.

What keeps women over 30 from falling asleep?

The thirty-year mark is the most “family” time. Up to 30 and a little after is the period when a family appears, children are born, and a career is built. This is a period of maximum activity, regardless of the woman’s actual success in the family or work. Few people manage to go through this period without deep emotional turmoil.

A woman in her prime has a lot of reasons to worry: women's health, finding or losing a partner, pregnancy and childbirth, daily family worries or divorce and its consequences. What matters is not so much the sign of emotions - positive or negative - but rather their strength and duration. Creating a harmonious union with a beloved man requires no less strength and emotion than overcoming the consequences of divorce and worrying about the problems of children.

Many women of this age are unsettled by postpartum depression and figure problems, which are intertwined into one whole. The maternal instinct that arises after childbirth often does not allow the young mother to relax even at night, when she continues to catch the baby’s breath.

After 30, some women begin to take preliminary stock of their lives, comparing reality with the goals they set for themselves at the beginning of their youth. Life is cooler than fiction, and rarely does anyone’s desired – and imagined – coincide with reality.

It is much more difficult for a woman with children to achieve career heights; no one makes allowances for the existence of children. Many people have to make a choice between children and career. Of course, children and family are not comparable to any career. However, the bitterness left after the inevitable choice can bother you for years to come.

In addition, no one will cancel women's intrigues and gossip in the work collective, which also does not add joy. Many people are prevented from enjoying life by material problems, including living together with their parents.

Dangers after 40

Mature age has a lot of its “pitfalls”. This is, first of all, the natural passing away of close relatives with whom we spent part of our lives. Women are much more emotional than men; they feel more subtly and deeply. It is difficult for many to understand the natural course of things; after the death of relatives, a woman may be tormented by a feeling of guilt or internally reproach herself for the lack of attention and care.

Some women after 40 begin to experience warning signs of menopause in the form of irregular menstrual cycles, hot flashes, mood swings, and blood pressure numbers. In their careers during this period, women try to make up for what, in their opinion, was lost in connection with childcare. In addition, by this time chronic diseases begin to manifest themselves, worsening the quality of sleep.

Drug treatment

The goal of drug treatment is to quickly restore sleep under stress in order to give the woman the opportunity to “disconnect” from the experiences that torment her. Depending on the specifics of the situation, the doctor chooses drugs from one of the groups:

• tranquilizers - Phenazepam, Lorazepam and the like;
• Z-drugs – Zopiclone, Zolpidem, Zaleplon;
• melatonin preparations – Melaxen, Circadin;
• doxylamine succinate blocker – Donormil.

Z-drugs are also considered to be the most physiological. These substances are short-lived, leaving no aftereffect after the end of activity.

In other words, these drugs have no effect other than as a sleeping pill. They are produced under the trade names Somnol, Relaxon, Hypnogen, Snovitel, Andante and others.

The advantage of these drugs is that they quickly reach a peak concentration, providing sleep of sufficient duration, and are eliminated from the body completely, without leaving behind a “tail” in the form of drowsiness and decreased concentration.

Psychotherapeutic treatment

The most important part of getting rid of insomnia, which begins simultaneously with drug treatment. The meaning of psychotherapeutic influence is lifestyle modification, when a person consciously eliminates the causes of insomnia.

The most progressive technique is stimulus-control therapy. Its essence is to restore the natural association of bed with sleep. To do this, you need to get out of bed and leave the bedroom whenever sleep does not occur within 20 minutes.

You cannot do any extraneous activities in bed - neither read, nor watch gadgets or TV shows. You should only return to bed if you feel drowsy again. At first, the patient has to do several such cycles per night.

Other effective techniques are also used - paradoxical intentions, imagery therapy, sleep restrictions and time control, cognitive therapy.

Overcoming insomnia requires joint concerted efforts between the doctor and the patient.

Insomnia is a problem that almost every modern woman must face. Poor sleep, frequent awakenings in the middle of the night, inability to fall asleep quickly and other manifestations take away precious time for comfortable rest and negatively affect performance, external condition, and health.

Unfortunately, there is no universal remedy that could immediately and surely relieve a representative of the fair sex from the disease. This is due to the huge variety of causes that cause sleep disorders.

The most likely causes of insomnia in women

Below are the most well-known and frequently identified causes of sleep disorders in women. Their effect is individual and depends on the characteristics of the body.– in some representatives of the fair sex they independently cause insomnia, while in others they only collectively form the prerequisites for poor sleep.

• Poor sleep hygiene. A huge number of environmental factors, from sleeping place to microclimate, can negatively affect the process of night rest;
• Poor nutrition. An important and common negative factor of insomnia in women;
• Jet lag. Unbalanced circadian rhythms of wakefulness and sleep lead to insomnia;
• Taking medications. Certain medications potentiate poor sleep;
• Stress and anxiety. Modern life, with its accelerated pace, frequent problems at work and at home, creates stressful situations to which the fair sex is most susceptible;
• Psychological phobias. Fear of night and sleep is rare, but greatly affects the overall quality of rest;
• Physiological changes. Aging entails not only the withering of the body, but also a reduction in the time a woman spends sleeping;
• Diseases. A whole range of diseases, syndromes and pathological conditions can cause insomnia in the fair sex.

Poor sleep hygiene

External environmental factors can cause insomnia in women - this is an axiom that is especially relevant in our modern era. The most common causes of this spectrum are:

• Poorly selected and organized bed. A pillow that is too high and uncomfortable, a bad mattress, a hot blanket that does not allow moisture and air to pass through, synthetic bedding material - this and much more creates complex discomfort that leads to poor sleep. The solution is the optimal selection of orthopedic components of the bed, as well as natural fabrics;
• Microclimate. Dry, stale or extremely humid air, too high or low room temperature - these factors must be taken into account. Solution - regular ventilation before bed, use of humidifiers and mechanical climate control means;
• Sounds and Lights. A typical problem in a large metropolis is extraneous sounds outside the window, as well as insufficiently thick curtains through which street lighting penetrates, which disrupts the sleep process of many women. The solution is good sound and light insulation.

Nutrition and its regime

It is very difficult for a really busy woman in the modern world to eat right - there is not enough time to prepare the simplest healthy dishes.

Too fatty and unhealthy foods, marinades, fast food and other excesses lead to various problems, negatively affect the figure and can disrupt sleep.

This article is often read with:

Strictly not recommended for use 1-1.5 before bedtime, strong black tea and coffee, which stimulate the activity of the central nervous system and keep you awake for a long time. You should also refrain from carbonated and diuretic drinks, which respectively irritate the stomach and force you to get up at night.

Jet lag

Over the centuries, the rhythm of human life has constantly increased - a leisurely existence has been replaced by a “fast run” for the benefits and demands of modern civilization. People began to sleep less, allocating more and more time to active wakefulness..

The problem is aggravated by monotonous sedentary work without physical activity. How to deal with these factors? The main recommendations are light physical exercise during short-term rest instead of “smoking breaks”, refusal of daytime naps (if you are constantly tormented by insomnia), strict control of the time of falling asleep and waking up.

You need to go to bed before 10 pm: between 11 pm and 2 am the restorative functions of the human body are activated; the process of night rest in this situation is mandatory.

Healthy sleep is a minimum of 8 hours of uninterrupted nightly rest, at the same time over the course of weeks.

Taking medications

Not only medications prescribed by a doctor for the treatment of serious diseases, but also relatively safe over-the-counter medications can cause insomnia in women.

• Drugs affecting the central nervous system. This includes tranquilizers as well as sleeping pills. Despite the fact that a priori this medical group should counteract insomnia in certain somatic and mental pathologies, in some cases their regular use, especially without prescription, as well as abrupt withdrawal can create systemic preconditions for persistent sleep disturbance. Typical representatives are amphetamines and caffeine-based drugs (stimulants), as well as Diazepam, Phenobarbital and other central nervous system inhibitors;
• Hypotonics. This includes Clonidine and its derivatives - they cause sleep disturbances when taken regularly in the medium term;
• Antihistamines. First generation antiallergic drugs, which have a systemic effect on the body, often cause insomnia. A typical representative is Diphenhydramine;

• Antitussives. Drugs containing codeine and its derivatives disrupt the normal circadian rhythms of sleep and wakefulness in women;
• Antidepressants. Disturbs the balance of the REM and slow sleep phases. Typical representatives are Nefazodone, Fluoxetine, Tranylcytopromine;
• Other drugs. These include corticosteroids (Prednisolone), gastric secretion blockers (Cimetidine), bronchodilators (Theophyllion), drugs that restore motor activity (Methyldopa) and much more.

Stress and anxiety

The frantic pace of life of a modern woman very often leads to conflict and difficult situations. Against this background, stress and depression arise. They are considered the most important factor in insomnia.

The problem is further aggravated by the fact that in an attempt to overcome the above-mentioned syndromes, representatives of the fair sex are increasingly turning to medications.

Antidepressants and sleeping pills, taken uncontrolled and systemically, aggravate the difficult situation and further disrupt the normal sleep process in women.

Some women may sleep poorly even in a state of normal anxiety, not to mention more serious psychologically negative manifestations.

What to do in this case? It is advisable to avoid any conflict situations, take more walks in the fresh air, be sure to separate work and home time, and not get carried away with antidepressants and other drugs that only mask the problem.

If you cannot overcome the pathological condition on your own, and the insomnia caused by it does not go away, it is better to contact a specialized specialist for qualified help.

Fear of night and sleep

In the modern world, people are diagnosed with a lot of phobias. One of them - hypnophobia. This condition is characterized by an irrational and poorly controlled fear of sleep.

A woman’s argument for this pathology can be different – ​​nightmares, fear of loss of control over the body and death during a night’s rest, irrational reluctance to waste precious time

Often, the fear of night and sleep arises in childhood as a result of some unpleasant event that is strongly remembered at the subconscious level. A nightly horror movie, rape or other psychophysical trauma causes such a deep-seated reaction of rejection that it can haunt a representative of the fair sex for decades.

The only way out of the situation in this case is to contact a specialist., conducting cognitive therapy, and, if necessary, taking medications according to individual prescriptions.

What diseases cause insomnia?

Insomnia in women can be caused not only by physiological reasons and external factors, but also by disease. The most well-known provoking pathologies, diseases and syndromes are usually:

• Mental disorders. The next stage of psychosocial stress and anxiety is systemic progressive depression;
• Neurological diseases. This includes dementia, Parkinson's disease and other wide-spectrum pathologies;
• Traumatic brain injuries with disruption of the central nervous system and peripheral nerves;
• Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Brief pauses in breathing during the night's rest are a very serious cause that is usually not noticed due to the classic external manifestation (snoring);
• Somatic diseases. This includes a huge range of “bodily” diseases, from various dysfunctions of the thyroid gland and diseases of the bronchopulmonary system to disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, nocturnal myoclonus and even pain syndrome of a wide etiology.

Somatic diseases

This type of disease is characterized by disruptions in the normal functioning of human systems and organs, is caused by internal or external influences, and can cause insomnia in a woman.

The above-described pathologies are not associated with the mental activity of the fair sex, and when conducting a high-quality comprehensive diagnosis, the cause of sleep disturbance is often accurately established.

• Bronchopulmonary system. Typically, insomnia affects women who are diagnosed with bronchial asthma, as well as chronic pathologies associated with respiratory obstruction;
• Gastrointestinal disorders. The most common provoking factor is esophageal reflux;
• Problems with the thyroid gland. Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can cause problems falling and staying asleep;
• Pain syndrome. Fibromyalgia, migraines and other similar conditions often cause insomnia;
• Neurological disorders and trauma. Almost all neurological diseases, as well as direct injuries to the skull and spine, develop negative symptoms with multiple sleep disturbances;
• Special syndromes. Pickwick syndrome and restless legs, myoclonus, central system apnea and much more.

Snoring and sleep apnea syndrome

Among the fair sex there is an opinion that snoring is only the lot of men. This is not at all true; women are susceptible to all possible causes of the formation of this syndrome (here you can read more about), as well as its complex form in the form of obstructive sleep apnea, although to a lesser extent.

Narrowing of the upper respiratory tract in the nasopharynx area causes difficulty in airflow in this area - during this process, turbulence is formed and a characteristic low sound of a certain repeating frequency appears.

In some cases, the pathology is accompanied by swelling of the above area and a decrease in smooth muscle tone, which provokes partial or complete closure of the respiratory channels during sleep with short-term pauses in breathing. With this type of pathology, called obstructive apnea, the risks of developing cardiovascular diseases increase significantly, pulmonary hypertension, oxygen starvation with insufficient nutrition of brain structures, as well as other serious problems.

A woman who regularly snores or a representative of the fair sex with OSA syndrome often suffers from insomnia, does not get enough sleep and feels “broken” most of the daylight hours. The solution to the problem is to find and eliminate the cause of the syndrome.

Insomnia in old age

Over time, a woman’s body undergoes a number of physiological changes. They are especially noticeable after the onset of menopause - in this case the hormonal balance is disturbed, previously hidden health problems form and manifest themselves.

It is during this period that the fair sex most often experiences insomnia, caused by a combination of physiological and pathological reasons.

It is only possible to overcome the causes of insomnia in women over 50 years of age in a comprehensive manner., following a number of specialist recommendations - from exercise therapy and breathing exercises, to taking medications, as well as treatment of underlying and concomitant diseases, the background of which is multiple disturbances of normal sleep.

Other Possible Causes

Any case that is not clearly diagnosed at home should be reviewed by a specialized specialist.

Only a comprehensive examination, differential analysis, instrumental and laboratory diagnostic methods can reveal the true cause of insomnia, and after prescribed therapy, help get rid of unpleasant pathologies.

Treatment methods for insomnia in women

The best option is to see a doctor to undergo a comprehensive comprehensive examination, which will help identify the cause of insomnia. If you are sure that sleep disturbances are not related to the disease, then you can try to eliminate it yourself.

• Avoid antidepressants, sleeping pills and other drugs that affect the functioning of the central nervous system and cause sleep disorders;
• Maintain good sleep hygiene;
• Move more and be in the fresh air;
• Adjust your diet to make it more rational and healthy. Lose excess weight, do not consume food, coffee, strong tea and carbonated water several hours before bedtime;
• Observe temporary daily cycles of sleep and wakefulness;
• Avoid stress and overexertion;
• Relax as often as possible, especially before a night's rest - in a warm shower or friendly company;
• Be happy and believe in yourself - everything will work out!

Content

The problem of insomnia worries many women of different ages. Poor sleep, constant awakenings in the middle of the night, and the inability to fall asleep quickly negatively affect health, cognitive abilities, performance and mood. The appearance also deteriorates significantly: the skin becomes dry, the hair loses its shine and breaks.

Age-related features of insomnia

According to studies of the influence of sleep time on the physical and mental health of women, there are some recommendations for its duration depending on age: from 17-19 to 55-60 years, the average sleep duration is 7-9 hours. Ladies over 60 years old should sleep a little less: 6-7 hours. The causes of poor sleep often depend on age:

Causes of sleep disorders in women

All the main causes of insomnia in girls and women are divided into two groups: neurological and physiological. The first include conditions not associated with morphological disorders. Physiological causes are often pathological changes in organs and functional systems in women 40 years of age and older.

Neurological

Psychological and neurological causes of sleep disturbance, as a rule, are not associated with morphological pathologies, but are a consequence of changes in work and rest patterns, or are explained by personal experiences. The severity of symptoms depends on a person’s ability to adequately perceive unfavorable life situations. Neurological factors include:

• jet lag;
• anxiety;
• stress, emotional overstrain;
• conflict situations;
• preparation for important events.

Physiological

Problems of lack of a good night's rest, which are physiological in nature, are usually caused by pathological conditions, age-related changes or negative external factors. Such causes of insomnia in women after 50 years are difficult to correct due to age-related changes. Physiological factors include:

• diet disorders that cause heaviness and discomfort in the gastrointestinal tract;
• changes in hormonal levels;
• the presence of external stimuli (noise, light);
• uncomfortable sleeping place;
• taking medications that stimulate the central nervous system;
• disruption of the brain centers responsible for falling asleep.