My sleep issues are related to my gender?
I’m no sleep expert. In the professional sense. But I have a lot of experience in the area, personally. I try to do it most nights. I also have a lot of experience of not sleeping and not well enough. And after years of hearing people, womxn in particular, describe their own experiences, or lack thereof, of sleep, I started digging.
Women are up to 40% more likely to experience insomnia than men, and to experience it differently across the lifespan. This meta-analysis confirmed a female predisposition towards insomnia. Ok so there’s research validating a genetic component to sleep issues for womxn, however is it really just as simply as blaming that? Thankfully research (and real life) also tells us that unique environmental factors continue to account for a large amount of variance in insomnia symptoms and experiences.
There are sex and gender differences impacting on our sleep culture, sleep hygiene and overall relationship with sleep. Sex-based differences include our biologies like hormone production and circadian rhythms. Gender-based differences include our social and cultural norms, expectations, behaviours and attitudes that influence sleep. Other factors that affect sleep can include predispositions for certain physical or mental health issues.
In my professional opinion, womxn have increased issues with sleep (broken, disturbed, poor quality, restlessness, and taking a long time to actually fall asleep) because this primary human need sits within the social context of patriarchal structures and systems, even today. Womxn become pregnant (affects sleep) and are still predominantly primary caregivers. Caring for a newborn and young children disrupts sleep; not rocket science to see how hard this is to recover from. Womxn are also finely attuned to social and gender cues; always on the lookout for striving/achieving as much, earning as much, working just as hard, being seen, being heard, being liked enough, being funny and smart enough, but not too much so they make men feel dumb, being pretty and slim enough but not obsessional, being casual and easy going enough but never too relaxed or slothenly… always. on. the. go. Womxn are conditioned to think 5 steps ahead; the mind is hard to ‘switch off’. Womxn are more vulnerable to crime and violence (in personal and public settings) and have been raised as such, to think protectively and (hyper)vigilantly towards themselves; always be on the lookout, always have an exit strategy, always be prepared. The list could go on. Busy, buzzing brains. Nonstop thinking thinking thinking. What would you add?
Generally, men have been (and often still are) raised to be carefree, take risks, entitled and sleep well*. They are generally born into a sense of just going to bed, things will take care of themselves (ie. someone will take care of them or someone will take care of me), and that they deserve sleep/rest. They shut off and turn off quicker and easier. Resonate?
The impact of difficulty sleeping varies greatly and can lead to several other health issues. Insomnia is linked to psychiatric problems, obesity and reduced performance at work. Women are more likely than men to have more severe symptoms of depression, excessive daytime sleepiness, and difficulty concentrating and remembering things. And when womxn still carry the bulk of the mental-cognitive load and are juggling multiple roles and pressures, let alone living in crises, this can start to present as a real struggle. It can also be confusing and result in many womxn saying '“Why am I so foggy?”, “I can’t believe I forgot that!”, and feel constantly behind and like they need to justify or work even harder to ‘catch up’ or get ‘back to normal’. Womxn may even be judged harshly (yes, by other womxn or even themselves too) or accused of being slow, sick, stupid or incapable. Thus reinforcing the implicit dominant discourse of the weaker, inferior sex. “See, she can’t keep up.” When we’re tired we’re more susceptible to irritability, forgetfulness, mood changes, quick fix solutions (unhealthy foods or substances), taking shortcuts, rushing, and being prone to accidents. These can all impact on important relationships, friendships and work dynamics. Which could unintentionally cause damage or jeopardise them. Can you start to see the cycle?
One research article sums it up well when womxn then start to turn on themselves: “Females were also likely to feel more affected by the burden of their symptoms.”
When I discovered the concept that sleep was related to things beyond just how much caffeine I’d consumed, it was a light bulb moment for me. So much made sense. Getting good sleep was yet another thing I had to work harder to obtain. My daily basic human need was affected by the socio-political-cultural ecosystem I live in.
Experts agree that more research is needed in the area of identifying the underlying nature of sex and gender differences related to sleep issues and disorders, so that more tailored treatment, diagnosis and prevention can occur. However we can still work with what we know now to make small adjustments or changes.
It’s more than just getting enough ‘beauty sleep’ (thanks patriarchy and mass media). I’d argue it is survival sleep. Anyone who’s ever felt the impacts of insufficient sleep might agree.
Stay tuned to explore the variety of creative sleep hygiene strategies I’ve accumulated over the years, with this sex-gender-impact-theory in mind.
*This discussion is generalised from a gendered and Feminist framework. We recognise that not all mxn are like this and that there are exceptions to every situation.
