Have female friends had a similar experience: tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall asleep until dawn, while family members next to them dip their heads in pillows and fall asleep in a second? The quality of their sleep is so good that it makes people want to shake them awake and fiercely question why they can fall asleep. Why are women more prone to insomnia than men in the same sleeping environment? Is this an individual feeling or a common phenomenon? Women are indeed more prone to insomnia. A study on the sleep characteristics of 1.1 million people published in the journal Nature Human Behavior showed that compared to men, symptoms of "difficulty falling asleep" or "early awakening" are increasing in adult women, and women use sleep medication more frequently (the proportion of women and men using sleep medication in the 26-40 age group is 8.6%: 5.2%, and the proportion in the 65 age group is 17.5%: 6.3%). Another study also showed that the proportion of women suffering from insomnia is 1.5 times higher than that of men, and this proportion continues to increase with age. Hormonal changes are an important cause of insomnia in women. The physiological changes in women's menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum period, and menopause are accompanied by fluctuations in hormone levels, which may affect sleep: 1. After menarche, women's sleep is regulated by estrogen, and hormonal instability can affect sleep quality. This is because estrogen participates in the regulation of the human autonomic nervous system, and abnormal fluctuations can disrupt the balance of breathing and blood pressure. 2、 During pregnancy, due to the physiological and psychological changes that occur in women, these changes can affect the quality and duration of sleep. In addition, studies have shown that pregnant women, especially after 6 months of pregnancy, experience a significant decrease in total sleep time and a decline in sleep quality. 3、 Menopause, this problem will become more severe, and more and more women will experience sleep disorders, mainly manifested as fragmented sleep and an increase in the number of awakenings during sleep. Studies have shown that 40% to 60% of women experience sleep disorders and insomnia during the menopausal transition period. Researchers tested the sleep status of 72 women during the menopausal transition period and evaluated the impact of menopausal hot flashes on sleep. The research results showed that the total sleep time measured by polysomnography in insomnia patients was significantly less than that in the control group, with an average of 43.5 minutes less. Insomnia patients are more likely to experience menopausal hot flashes, and the presence of menopausal hot flashes is closely related to the frequency of wakefulness per hour. Long term insomnia or sleep deprivation increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in women. The impact of long-term insomnia or sleep deprivation on women's health is multifaceted: in terms of psychological state, insomnia can lead to anxiety or depression, and patients with anxiety and depression often experience more insomnia, which leads to a vicious cycle. In terms of physical health, insomnia not only leads to fatigue, dull skin, dryness, wrinkles, memory loss... More importantly, a study published in the authoritative cardiovascular journal Circulation in 2024 found that middle-aged women with insomnia problems are more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases. Researchers screened 2964 women aged between 42 and 52 who were in perimenopause or early perimenopause and did not have cardiovascular problems at the beginning of the experiment. During a total follow-up period of 22 years, researchers conducted 16 sleep tests on these participants, and surprisingly, up to 30% of the subjects had long-term insomnia, while 14% of the subjects had long-term sleep deprivation. Among them, a total of 202 subjects developed cardiovascular problems. The results showed that middle-aged women with persistent high-frequency insomnia had a 71% increased risk of cardiovascular problems. These methods may help improve insomnia, but insomnia is not scary. If female friends encounter long-term insomnia problems, they can seek help from those around them in a timely manner, or seek medical attention in a timely manner, and adopt insomnia cognitive-behavioral therapy to improve their sleep state. In addition, in daily life, you can also try these methods: 1. Wake up at a fixed time every day, leave the bed if you can't sleep, and strongly suggest that the bed is only for sleeping. 2、 Don't think about unhappy things before going to bed, think more about things that make you happy. 3、 Ensure that the room temperature is appropriate and there is no noise. Ensure that the bedroom is quiet, dark, and has a suitable temperature. Consider using blackout curtains, earplugs, or white noise machines to reduce interference. 4、 Consciously engage in one's own psychological and physiological activities through abdominal breathing and muscle relaxation techniques, indicating that one is going to sleep. 5、 Avoid caffeine and alcohol, especially a few hours before bedtime, as they may interfere with sleep. Avoid drinking a lot of water before bedtime and reduce the frequency of waking up to go to the bathroom at night. 6、 Avoid taking long naps, and if necessary, try not to exceed 30 minutes. 7、 Reduce the use of electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and televisions before bedtime. (New Society)