And they can be caused by a range of factors, including biological, psychological and social ones, experts say. The good news, though, is that there are things you can do to help.
What’s behind women’s sleep issues?
Throughout the reproductive years, Dr. Baker said, hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle can cause mood changes (such as anxiety and depression) and physical symptoms (like cramps, bloating and tender breasts), which all may disrupt sleep.
Symptoms during pregnancy — such as nausea, the frequent urge to urinate, anxiety and general discomfort, depending on the trimester — can also trigger sleep disturbances, said Shelby Harris, a clinical associate professor of neurology and psychology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. This is especially true during the first and third trimesters, she said.
Then, of course, there’s the sleep disruption that comes with caring for a newborn, Dr. Harris said — which can continue long after the baby is sleeping through the night. Sometimes, women’s “brains are almost trained to hear the baby,” she said, which can lead to a pattern of hypervigilance and responsiveness that can make it harder to sleep.
Hormones again take center stage during the years leading up to — and beyond — menopause. Up to 80 percent of women start getting hot flashes in perimenopause (the four or so years leading up to menopause), Dr. Baker said, and they can last for several years afterward. For about 20 percent of women, though, these hot flashes are frequent and intense enough to disrupt sleep, she said.