A Sleep Advantage for Older Women
A Sleep Advantage for Older Women
They're Less Affected by Missed Sleep Than Young Women, Study Shows
Oct. 27, 2005 -- Sleep researchers in Belgium may have discovered a perk of aging for women.
Older women handled a brief but drastic drop in sleep better than younger women, the scientists report.
The study appears in the journal Sleep. The researchers included Patricia Stenuit, MSc, of the University of Brussels' sleep laboratory.
Skimping on sleep can dull your thinking, slow your reaction time, and make you more likely to have an accident. That's why "drowsy driving" is a hazard.
Stenuit's study was mainly conducted in a sleep lab. Driving was out of the question for the participants.
The study included 21 women. Eleven women were 20-30 years old; the rest were 55-65 years old.
All were healthy nonsmokers with no sleep problems. None was taking hormones (including birth control).
The older women had all finished menopause. That's important, because many women report problems with sleep while they're undergoing menopause.
Normally, the women all got about eight hours of nightly sleep. The experiment deliberately wrecked their normal sleep routines.
First, the women got a normal night of sleep at the lab. Then, strict new sleep rules kicked in.
For three nights, the women were only allowed to sleep for four hours -- from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. After that, they got a normal night of sleep at the lab.
The women wore EEG (electroencephalographic) devices around the clock that recorded even the briefest nap.
They also took several tests throughout the study. Some tests checked reaction time. Others focused on memory or attention.
One test was sheer temptation. Twice a day, each woman sat in a comfy chair in a dim room for 20 minutes. If she dozed off, a machine alerted the researchers, who immediately woke her up.
The women also rated how sleepy they felt.
The younger women faded throughout the study.
They fell asleep more often when they weren't supposed to. One young woman was kicked out of the study for sneaking a total of about four hours of unauthorized sleep.
A Sleep Advantage for Older Women
They're Less Affected by Missed Sleep Than Young Women, Study Shows
Oct. 27, 2005 -- Sleep researchers in Belgium may have discovered a perk of aging for women.
Older women handled a brief but drastic drop in sleep better than younger women, the scientists report.
The study appears in the journal Sleep. The researchers included Patricia Stenuit, MSc, of the University of Brussels' sleep laboratory.
A Good Night's Rest
Skimping on sleep can dull your thinking, slow your reaction time, and make you more likely to have an accident. That's why "drowsy driving" is a hazard.
Stenuit's study was mainly conducted in a sleep lab. Driving was out of the question for the participants.
The study included 21 women. Eleven women were 20-30 years old; the rest were 55-65 years old.
All were healthy nonsmokers with no sleep problems. None was taking hormones (including birth control).
The older women had all finished menopause. That's important, because many women report problems with sleep while they're undergoing menopause.
Normally, the women all got about eight hours of nightly sleep. The experiment deliberately wrecked their normal sleep routines.
Awake Until the Wee Hours
First, the women got a normal night of sleep at the lab. Then, strict new sleep rules kicked in.
For three nights, the women were only allowed to sleep for four hours -- from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. After that, they got a normal night of sleep at the lab.
The women wore EEG (electroencephalographic) devices around the clock that recorded even the briefest nap.
They also took several tests throughout the study. Some tests checked reaction time. Others focused on memory or attention.
One test was sheer temptation. Twice a day, each woman sat in a comfy chair in a dim room for 20 minutes. If she dozed off, a machine alerted the researchers, who immediately woke her up.
The women also rated how sleepy they felt.
Sleepy Youths, Wakeful Elders
The younger women faded throughout the study.
They fell asleep more often when they weren't supposed to. One young woman was kicked out of the study for sneaking a total of about four hours of unauthorized sleep.
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