Losing Sleep

News Note

By Editorial Staff

Originally published in Massage & Bodywork magazine, February/March 2000.

Being a natural woman is of no benefit when it comes to getting enough sleep. Surveying 1,012 women aged 30 to 60, the National Sleep Foundation discovered that American women only sleep an average of six hours and 41 minutes each night. The survey, reported in Delicious (May 1999), identified reproductive cycles, pregnancy and menopausal symptoms as a major interference in sleep. Two-thirds of the women complained of losing sleep due to headaches, menstrual cramping and pregnancy, while another one-third blamed hot flashes for their insomnia. The lack of restful sleep was identified by nearly one-third of the women as negatively affecting their daily functioning in activities and relationships.