| "Gloria knows first-hand what it's like not to get a good night's sleep. She's been suffering from " ""I'd get into bed and I'd feel very wired, 'I need to get sleep'. Of course, I couldn't," says Gloria, an insomnia patient at the " ". "I was very fatigued, nauseated, not eating, and I was losing weight. It was not a good period."" "Gloria is not alone. According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), nearly 40 million Americans. More women are affected than men." ""Sleep problems are pretty common in women," says Beth Malow, M.D., M.S., associate professor of neurology and director of the General Clinical Research Center Sleep Program at UMHS. "I think as women get older, they have more problems with their sleep. And, at various times in a woman's life, whether it's when women starts menstruation, gets pregnant, or begins menopause, there are differences in sleep."" "Sleep is vital for human beings to function productively. The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults get eight hours of sleep a night. Not getting enough sleep can result in daytime sleepiness, increased accidents, problems concentrating, and health problems. That's why Malow says it's necessary to recognize sleep problems right away and treat them appropriately." "Insomnia is a sleep disorder where you either have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. It is the most common sleep disorder in women. In fact, according to a NSF poll, 53 percent of women aged 30 to 60 experience difficulty sleeping often or always. Malow says it stems from a continuous cycle." "Typically, insomnia is treated with medications. But Malow warns prescribing medications to help one sleep should generally be reserved for patients who are experiencing an acute traumatic event, have a history of depression or anxiety, or need medication in combination with behavioral techniques to break cycles of insomnia." ""I really like behavioral techniques that involve progressive relaxation of the muscles, combined with some medication," notes Malow. "For example, I tell patients to recite a mantra or think of an image like a beach and waves coming in. The idea is to distract yourself and relax your body so that you're not thinking about your worries of the day."" ",including one in four women over the age of 65. Sleep apnea is more common in men, but it increases in women over the age of 50. It's a breathing disorder that is characterized by snoring, waking patients up sometimes 20 to
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