After chasing the screaming rugrats, competing with the big boys in the work place and cooking up a stellar creation, who has time to sleep?

Women are busier than ever.

So it is no wonder that the number of sleep disorders suffered by women is catching up to those that have long plagued men.

Health specialists warn that this disorder is often overlooked, even though there are more than 115 recognized sleep disorders.

Symptoms created by sleep disorders are often treated while the disorder itself goes undiagnosed.

Dr. Rammohan Rao, a Mayo Clinic-trained sleep specialist at Baptist Hospital, said women, and men, should be alarmed if they’re not getting a restful night’s sleep.

“Sleep is an essential part of living,” Rao said. “We, as living beings, all spend about a third of our lives in sleep.”

A lack of sleep creates a whole host of problems including mood changes, lower IQ, poor work performance and decreased memory, he said. Interpersonal relationships also suffer.

“Seven to 10 years, if they (sleep disorders) go untreated, they tend to develop heart disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes and sexual dysfunction,” he said.

Work performance

Judgment and work performance can be affected when people are overworked or work a night shift.

“When people work the graveyard shift, performance goes down by about 20 to 30 percent, resulting in poor judgment and traffic accidents,” Rao said.

He pointed out that major workplace accidents have occurred because of sleep depravation, such as the 1979 Three-Mile Island nuclear power plan accident in Pennsylvania and the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in the Soviet Union.

Recognizing sleep disorders can minimize heart attacks, control blood pressure and blood sugars, Rao said.
Sleepless

It’s surprising how many things can contribute to a sleepless night.

“Women can even lose up to one hour of sleep if their husbands snore or also have trouble sleeping,” Rao said.
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder in pre-menopausal women, he said.

Many post-menopausal women lose sleep because they suffer from hot flashes, restless leg syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea.

“If stopped breathing is a result of obstructive sleep apnea, the obstruction in the airway results in interruptions in their sleep,” Rao said. “As a result, they feel sleepy the following day.”

The condition, which is becoming more and more common, results from blockage of the airway by the tongue, tonsils or uvula. According to sleepapnea.org, the uvula and the soft palate collapse on the back wall of the upper airway.

People can stop breathing for as long as 10 seconds up to 40 times per night.

This condition can lead to congestive heart failure, hypertension, stroke, and difficulty in controlling Type II diabetes, Rao said.

Currently, there is no cure for sleep apnea, but there are some treatments. And more men than women suffer from the condition. The hormones estrogen and progesterone are thought to maintain the muscle tone in the throats of woman, so they are less likely to snore or suffer from sleep apnea.

“No doubt weight is a major issue, but it’s not the only cause of sleep apnea,” Rao said. “Lose weight by 10 percent or more, the number of obstructions in an hour will be reduced an average of 50 percent.”

Children can suffer from sleep disorders, too, including obstructive sleep apnea, Restless Legs Syndrome and parasomnia. Parasomnia can cause night terrors, bed wetting, teeth grinding and sleep walking.

A lack of sleep in children can lead to poor growth milestones, Rao said. And it often makes them very irritable, restless, cranky and not attentive. Because of this, about 30 percent of these children are misdiagnosed as having ADD or ADHD, Rao said.

Louis DeSonier, psychologist at Baptist Hospital, said sleep disorders can also lead to depression and visa versa.

“Anxiety and depression seem to affect insomnia, and insomnia causes anxiousness and depression in some incidences,” DeSonier said.

For instance: People working long and hard hours oftentimes get insomnia and soon become sleep deprived. And then they find it hard to function well. “Often times they become depressed and anxious,” he said.

“Some people who have insomnia are not depressed or anxious,” DeSonier said. “We’ve got to treat the patient (or the source of the problem) not just the symptom.”

The National Sleep Foundation 2007 Survey of Women found:
• Approximately 67 percent of women complained about some sort of sleep problems a few days a week.
• 19 percent of women showed symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome a few nights a week.
• 32 percent of women said they felt sleepy during the daytime.
• 22 percent said sleepiness interfered with their daily activities.
• 15 percent said it affected their household duties.
• 12 percent said it affected their relationships with their spouses.

Ways to get a good night’s sleep

• Maintain a regular sleep and work schedule without taking naps during the day.
• Keep a regular daily exercise program of 20 to 30 minutes. Do this at least five to six hours before your planned sleep time.
• Avoid stimulants such as nicotine and caffeine. Also avoid over-the-counter sleep aids and alcohol close to bedtime.
• Make sure the bedroom is quiet and comfortable. Pull the curtains down. Turn the clocks around. If possible, disconnect the telephone. Make sure not to have pets or children sharing the bed.
• Set a time in your daily schedule for meditation or prayer for about five to 10 minutes per day to think about your worries so you do not take them to bed.
• Eat a light snack and take a warm bath before going to bed.
• To get to sleep, focus on an external object so your mind does not wander.
• If you still can’t fall asleep, get up and move around your living room. Think about your worries and complete them so you can return to bed in peace.

Signs of sleep apnea found at medicinenet.com/sleep_apnea/article.htm

• Daytime sleepiness.
• High blood pressure.
• Heart problems.
• Trouble with concentrating, thinking or remembering.

What to do if you suspect you suffer from sleep apnea or any sleep disorder:

• Find out whether you have a sleep disorder by filling out a questionnaire at www.ebaptisthealthcare.org/BHC/SleepDisorderScreening.aspx.
• See a sleep specialist, but remember not every doctor is a sleep specialist. You can search for one at http://www.absm.org/Diplomates/listing.htm.
• Log on to sleepcenters.org to ensure that the American Board of Sleep Medicine accredits the sleep center.