Sleep disturbances increase with advancing age in both women and men although inherent gender differences are apparent. Older women take longer to fall asleep, have greater difficulty in staying asleep, have more daytime sleepiness, less stage 1 and stage 2 NREM sleep. Older women are also more likely to develop insomnia, the restless sleep syndrome and its accompanying sleep disturbances and have more obstructive sleep apneic symptoms compared to older men [1].
Author(s)
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Franco Guidozzi
Chief Specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist
Academic Head of Department
University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences
South Africa
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