For all the men in the world

Sleepless nights more harmful for women than for men

CARLY WEEKS
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
March 13, 2008 at 8:52 AM EDT

Mary Kator, 48, can't count the number of nights she's spent tossing and turning, trying to get a good sleep. It's a problem the Oakville, Ont., resident has struggled with for years, and it didn't just take a toll on her energy level. The lack of sleep also had an impact on her physical and mental health.
"I went to psychiatrists because I felt very depressed," Ms. Kator said. "I would take a lot of time off because I felt very flu-like, where you just have this general feeling of not being well."
Many Canadians are all too familiar with how difficult it can be to get the amount of sleep required to function properly. But researchers have found new evidence that shows women face far greater risks of health problems than men as a result of sleep deprivation.
Researchers from the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., compared sleep patterns in a group of men and women and found that women who slept poorly had significantly higher levels of biomarkers that are associated with an increased risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Women who slept poorly were also much more likely to experience hostility, distress, depression and anger, according to the study.

"In contrast, these feelings were not associated with the same degree of sleep disruption in men," Edward Suarez, lead author and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Duke University, said in a statement.
The findings, published this week in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity, paint a revealing picture of the role gender differences may play in sleep and health.
It's a difference Ms. Kator understands well. Although her husband has "sleep issues," she said, sleeplessness had a much stronger impact on her.
"He doesn't seem to need as much sleep," she said. "I remember saying one time [that] I was depressed and my husband said, 'What have you got to be depressed about?' "
In the study, researchers examined a group of 210 middle-aged men and women who didn't have a history of sleeping disorders. They found that 40 per cent of the group were poor sleepers, which meant they frequently took longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep, or woke frequently.
While men and women both reported sleeping trouble, women were much more likely to experience health problems if they didn't get enough rest. Researchers said women who had difficulty falling asleep were at a greater risk for these issues, rather than women who woke up during the night.
Sleep research has exploded in recent years as a result of busy lifestyles that have cut into sleep time.
"Sleep forms the foundation of health as a restorative or recuperative process," said Charles Samuels, medical director of the Centre for Sleep and Human Performance in Calgary. "As we progress into our 24-hour society, which we're well into since the Industrial Revolution, there are going to be consequences."
Ms. Kator eventually sought the help of a sleep clinic and, after being diagnosed and treated for mild sleep apnea, no longer struggles to get a proper amount of rest.
"Within a few weeks, I just felt like a new person. My symptoms of depression just basically went away," she said. "I realize now it was definitely the lack of sleep that was having a huge impact on my life."

I always tell Joseph he should be the one getting up in the night with the kids, now I've got proof. I will have this article in hand the next time there is a newborn in this house. And NO this is NOT an announcement.