Tamanna Sadeka, Geraci Stephen A
Medical Service, G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216, USA.
South Med J. 2013 Aug;106(8):470-8. doi: 10.1097/SMJ.0b013e3182a15af5.
Disruption of sleep causes adverse health outcomes and poor quality of life. People with sleep disruption have higher levels than people without disrupted sleep of depression and anxiety and increased rates of cardiovascular diseases. Women have a higher incidence than men of insomnia and depression related to poor sleep. The types of complaints differ significantly between the sexes. Women are more likely than men to complain of insomnia, headache, irritability, and fatigue than the "typical" symptoms of loud snoring and breathing cessation during sleep. Hormones play an important role in sleep in women. Reproductive hormones were found to have a protective effect on sleep apnea in women of premenopausal age. Pregnancy is another period when the prevalence of sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome increases from hormonal effect. Cardiovascular mortality is high in women with obstructive sleep apnea. Continuous positive airway pressure therapy improves outcomes in most cases of obstructive sleep apnea. The epidemiology, risk factors, diagnostic criteria, and therapies for the three most common sleep disorders (insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome), along with effects of menopause, pregnancy, and social factors on sleep in women, are key considerations for clinicians caring for female patients across the adult life span.
睡眠中断会导致不良的健康后果和生活质量下降。与睡眠未受干扰的人相比，睡眠中断的人抑郁和焦虑水平更高，心血管疾病的发病率也更高。女性因睡眠不佳导致的失眠和抑郁发病率高于男性。两性的主诉类型存在显著差异。与睡眠时打鼾和呼吸暂停等“典型”症状相比，女性比男性更有可能主诉失眠、头痛、易怒和疲劳。激素在女性睡眠中起着重要作用。研究发现，生殖激素对绝经前女性的睡眠呼吸暂停具有保护作用。怀孕是另一个因激素影响导致睡眠呼吸暂停和不宁腿综合征患病率增加的时期。患有阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停的女性心血管死亡率很高。持续气道正压通气治疗在大多数阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停病例中可改善治疗效果。三种最常见睡眠障碍（失眠、阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停和不宁腿综合征）的流行病学、危险因素、诊断标准和治疗方法，以及绝经、怀孕和社会因素对女性睡眠的影响，是照顾成年女性患者的临床医生的关键考虑因素。
