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Sleep Disorders in Women pp 55–64Cite as

Sex Differences in Sleep

Part of the Current Clinical Neurology book series (CCNEU)

Abstract

There are sex differences in human sleep behavior, whether assessed by self-report or with polysomnographic (PSG) and electroencephalographic (EEG) measures. Women report more sleep problems and a poorer sleep quality, and are at greater risk for developing insomnia disorder, than men across a wide age range. Men and women also interpret sleep quality differently. In contrast, PSG studies show that women have better objective sleep (e.g., longer total sleep time, fewer awakenings, more slow wave activity) and that age has a smaller impact on PSG measures in women than men, suggesting that objective and subjective assessments are tapping into different constructs of sleep. Some of the sex differences in sleep may be due to the influences of the changing hormone milieu on sleep in women across the lifespan. There are also sex differences in the prevalence of insomnia, which is more common in women from adolescence throughout adulthood, and which can emerge in association with hormonal fluctuations such as during perimenopause. Sex is an important factor in determining sleep behavior, sleep architecture and sleep disorder prevalence and presentation.

Keywords

  • Sex
  • Sleep quality
  • Circadian rhythms
  • Adolescence
  • Estrogen
  • Menstrual cycle
  • Menopause
  • Insomnia

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, USA

    Fiona C. Baker, Dilara Yűksel & Massimiliano de Zambotti

  2. Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Fiona C. Baker

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  1. Fiona C. Baker
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  2. Dilara Yűksel
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  3. Massimiliano de Zambotti
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Correspondence to Fiona C. Baker .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    MD Hrayr Attarian

  2. Department of Neurology, NorthShore University Health System, Evanston, IL, USA

    Mari Viola-Saltzman

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Baker, F.C., Yűksel, D., de Zambotti, M. (2020). Sex Differences in Sleep. In: Attarian, H., Viola-Saltzman, M. (eds) Sleep Disorders in Women. Current Clinical Neurology. Humana, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40842-8_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40842-8_5

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, Cham

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