💤 The Sleep Struggle is Real: Why Women Can’t Sleep & What to Do

The Real Reason You’re Not Sleeping—And What Actually Works

You do everything right: limit caffeine, put your phone away, even try meditation… and yet, you’re still exhausted. Sound familiar?

Women’s sleep struggles aren’t just about lifestyle. Our biology, hormones, and life stages all play a major role—yet the advice we get rarely reflects that.

I recently spoke with Dr. Chris Winter American sleep researcher, neurologist, and author on the Fempower Health Podcast about what’s really happening when we can’t sleep—and how to fix it. 

🔥 Why Women’s Sleep Is Different

If you feel like your sleep changes all the time, you’re not imagining it. Women experience:

🩸 Menstrual Cycle Fluctuations – Progesterone surges pre-period can make you sleepy, but PMS can wreck sleep quality.²
🤰 Pregnancy Challenges – Nausea, restless legs, and breathing issues start early and get worse by the third trimester.³
👶 Postpartum Sleep Deprivation – It’s not just baby wake-ups. Hormonal shifts impact sleep cycles for months.³
🔥 Perimenopause & Menopause – Hot flashes, night sweats, and rising sleep apnea risk can tank rest.⁴

And yet, most sleep studies up through the 1990s have been conducted on white men. 🤯 

💡 What Science Says About Women & Sleep

✅ Women tend to sleep longer than men—but report worse sleep quality.⁶
✅ Insomnia is 40% more common in women than in men.
✅ Sleep apnea in women is often misdiagnosed as anxiety or depression, especially post-menopause.^4,5

But here’s the good news—there are ways to improve sleep that actually work.

🚀 Sleep Fixes That Actually Work (and What’s a Waste of Time)

💤 Good Sleep Habits
✔ Keep a consistent sleep schedule (yes, even on weekends).
✔ Stop doom-scrolling in bed (blue light messes with melatonin).
✔ Keep your room cool (65°F is ideal for deep sleep).
✔ Exercise during the day (but not too close to bedtime).

🚫 What Doesn’t Work as Well as You Think
❌ Relying on melatonin every night—it’s better for jet lag, not long-term use.
❌ Nightcaps—alcohol actually disrupts REM sleep and can worsen menopausal night sweats.⁴
❌ Over-caffeinating—cut it by mid-afternoon to avoid sleep disruptions.²

🌙 Menopause & Sleep: What’s Missing From the Conversation?

I asked Dr. Winter about menopause and sleep. While he acknowledged that menopause dramatically impacts sleep, he also pointed out that medicine has done a poor job of studying it¹.

🔥 Hot Flashes & Night Sweats – These can trigger wake-ups multiple times a night.
🫁 Rising Sleep Apnea Risk – Post-menopausal women are often misdiagnosed with anxiety instead of sleep apnea.⁴
💤 Sleep Changes as You Age – While research shows hormone therapy can help with sleep, data also points to sleep changing as we age. It is important to assess the root cause.⁸

💬 Are you in perimenopause or menopause? What’s your biggest sleep struggle? Hit reply and let me know—I’ll share insights in an upcoming issue!

👀 Have a question about sleep? Reply to this email and let me know!

📚 References

1. Winter C. Fempower Health Podcast: Tips for Better Sleep (and How Sleep Affects Women), March 14, 2023.

2. Shechter A, Boivin DB. Sleep and Menstrual Cycle. Sleep Med Clin. 2010.

3. Facco FL, et al. Sleep disorders in pregnancy & postpartum. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2012.

4. Polo-Kantola P. Sleep problems in menopause. Neuropsychobiology. 2010.

5. Wimms, A., Woehrle, H., Ketheeswaran, S., Ramanan, D., & Armitstead, J. (2016). Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Women: Specific Issues and Interventions. BioMed research international, 2016, 1764837. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/1764837

6. Krishnan V, Collop NA. Gender differences in sleep disorders. Sleep Med Clin. 2006.

7. Burgard, S. A., & Ailshire, J. A. (2013). Gender and Time for Sleep among U.S. Adults. American sociological review, 78(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122412472048

8. Lee, J., Han, Y., Cho, H. H., & Kim, M. R. (2019). Sleep Disorders and Menopause. Journal of menopausal medicine, 25(2), 83–87. https://doi.org/10.6118/jmm.19192