If you’re a woman who used to doze off easily, say on a friend’s semi-functional air mattress or a bedroom couch, you may be surprised at how elusive sleep can be in your late 30s. What was once something you simply had to make time for will become something you can only access with a curator bedtime ritualthe additionand a prayer—if that.
The truth is that women of all ages struggle with sleep more than men because of “fluctuations in the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone from puberty until the end of time.” Saema Tahir, MDis a New York-based sleep medicine, critical care and pulmonary specialist, tells SELF. Research suggests that Insomnia is up to twice as common in women as in men, and twice as common in women as in men don’t wake up feeling rested. Dr. Tahir notes that women in their late 30s and early 40s also see a significant spike in sleep disorders, as various factors causing hormonal shifts can collide with lifestyle changes that make sleep even more elusive.
Below, experts describe the common reasons you may encounter new sleep obstacles in your late 30s and how to get back on track.
1. She is postpartum or has young children at home.
It is known that pregnancy sleep is rough– the constant need to pee, the baby eating your insides – but things can get worse after the birth, and not just because of the baby’s needs. Yes, you may be breaking up your sleep in the first few weeks or months to breastfeed or breastfeed, but you’re also going through a huge hormonal shift.
Dr. Tahir says that estrogen and progesterone drop suddenly after childbirth. “Estrogen helps stabilize our sleep, improves deep sleep and REM sleep, and plays a role in regulating our circadian rhythms,” she explains. “And progesterone affects GABA, which is a neurotransmitter that makes us feel calm.” Thus, a significant drop can affect both, he explains. This may take several months for the effects of this change to wear off, and if you choose to breastfeed, your sleep may remain disturbed during this time (and during weaning as well), as breastfeeding keeps estrogen and progesterone levels low.
And then there are the newfound stressors of parenthood. Moms often pay extra attention to signs in their environment that their child needs help, which can make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep. Shelby Harris, PsyD, DBSMclinical psychologist and author A guide for women to overcome insomniasays SELF. No wonder more than half of mothers people between the ages of 25 and 44 sleep less than seven hours a night.
