Ever tell someone they "woke up on the wrong side of the bed"? While this is just a saying (and the side of the bed we find ourselves on in the morning has little to do with our mood!), sleep, in general, greatly impacts our mental health. This is especially true for women.
Sleep and mental health have a bidirectional relationship: poor sleep affects the mood and can exacerbate mental health disorders, and an existing mental health condition can affect sleep quality.
Traditionally, sleep troubles were viewed as an outcome of depression. Yet, increasing evidence suggests that poor sleep could also trigger or worsen depression. Sleep problems and depressive symptoms seem to mutually amplify each other, forming a reinforcing loop. For those struggling with anxiety, the hyperarousal, or "racing mind," associated with an anxiety disorder is a key contributor to insomnia.
During the night, the body enters the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep. Here, the brain is given the opportunity to process emotional information, analyzing thoughts and memories from the day. Without enough sleep, the body misses out on crucial REM time and the synthesizing of important positive emotional content (Suni & Dimitriu, 2023).
Women are more likely than men to have insomnia disorder and sleep disturbances. In a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 71% of women said menstrual symptoms like bloating, headaches, and cramps impacted their sleep. In another study, sleep quality and efficiency tended to be poorer during the menstrual and premenstrual phases than other phases of the cycle. This is attributed to the fluctuating levels of steroid hormones (like progesterone) released during the premenstrual and menstrual phases. Progesterone is the hormone that facilitates pregnancy and has a slight sedative effect. Following a woman's luteal phase, progesterone levels drop dramatically during menstruation, hence the reason for sleep difficulties (Baker & Driver, 2004).
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can prove beneficial if you're struggling with sleep disturbances or insomnia. CBT can help you manage your mood and the thinking processes that impact sleep, as well as providing concrete strategies to support your sleep.