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(Stacker) – Women often manage work and family demands for months, all while pushing their own exhaustion aside. So by the time they ask a doctor why they still feel drained every day, stress may sound like the most reasonable explanation
But as Sleeping.com examines here, sleep specialists now warn that sleep apnea may remain overlooked when women’s symptoms are attributed to stress or depression. Part of the problem comes from the familiar image associated with the disorder, which still centers on an older man who snores loudly
However, an analysis published in the journal Respiratory Medicine estimated that women account for 41% of U.S. adults living with obstructive sleep apnea, placing millions outside the profile that many patients and clinicians recognize first
Persistent exhaustion may be treated as a daytime problem before breathing problems during sleep receive attention. And by the time sleep finally enters the conversation, the condition has already begun affecting how women feel and function throughout the day
Women and men do not always experience the same medical condition in the same way, and sleep apnea is one example
Özen Basoglu, a lung specialist at Ege University in Turkey, compared 2,827 people with a confirmed diagnosis and found that women reported fatigue and trouble sleeping more often than men. With sleep already difficult to get through without interruption, many women wake feeling unrested even after spending enough hours in bed
Susan Redline of Brigham and Women’s Hospital explains in a Sleep Review article that women often wake more easily during a breathing interruption, breaking the night into shorter stretches and leaving them with weaker concentration the following day. And those repeated awakenings usually follow them into the morning through physical symptoms, as Basoglu’s study found headaches and reflux more often among women
So with exhaustion now joined by physical discomfort, low mood frequently becomes part of how a woman describes the problem. The same research also found greater difficulty remembering new information among female patients
However, familiar symptoms have not disappeared among women, since many still snore or wake up gasping. The difference usually lies in which complaint finally pushes a woman to make an appointment with their doctor
Medical research spent decades treating sleep apnea as a disorder found mostly among men, and that history still influences who receives closer evaluation
Sleep medicine physician Dr. Andrea Matsumura told The New York Post that women’s symptoms are often attributed to hormonal changes, leaving stress or menopause at the center of the medical conversation before sleep apnea receives attention. And that early focus is reinforced by screening questions that place greater emphasis on loud snoring and visible pauses in breathing
As a result, women who arrive describing poor sleep or low energy may be directed toward explanations that seem more closely tied to daily pressure or hormonal changes. But the confusion becomes greater during perimenopause and menopause, when sleep complaints often begin or become harder to ignore
Research published in the journal PLOS One involving 774 middle-aged women found that lower estrogen and progesterone levels were linked with a greater chance of irregular breathing during sleep. And those hormonal changes can also disturb sleep on their own, leaving doctors with more than one possible cause to examine
With both conditions producing similar complaints, doctors may need to look beyond how a woman feels during the day to understand what is disturbing her sleep. Because a fuller evaluation can then help determine whether hormonal changes, sleep apnea, or both are contributing to the problem
Until then, interrupted breathing may continue while stress or menopause remains the working explanation
Many women with undiagnosed sleep apnea appear healthy during the day, even while repeated breathing interruptions place strain on the heart and brain each night
The Menopause Society explains that repeated sleep disturbances among postmenopausal women are linked with higher odds of high blood pressure, adding to cardiovascular concerns that become more common after menopause
Each breathing interruption briefly lowers oxygen levels before the body restores normal breathing, placing repeated strain on systems that depend on steady sleep. Johns Hopkins sleep specialist Dr. Jonathan Jun says those repeated interruptions are associated with heart disease and diabetes, while poor sleep continues placing stress on the body night after night
But the brain also carries part of that burden. UCLA researcher Dr. Paul Macey found that women with obstructive sleep apnea showed more severe brain changes than men with the same disorder, along with higher levels of anxiety and depression. And those findings offer a clearer explanation for why concentration, forgetfulness, and emotional control often occur even after a woman spends enough hours in bed
Sleep specialists are now looking more closely at women whose sleep complaints do not match the traditional symptoms of sleep apnea. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that diagnosis begin with a comprehensive sleep evaluation, giving clinicians room to consider daytime exhaustion and poor sleep alongside more familiar warning signs
Susan Redline of Brigham and Women’s Hospital has pushed her colleagues to get better at spotting sleep apnea in women, calling for an approach flexible enough to account for how differently the condition shows up. And greater clinical awareness has opened more routes to testing
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says home sleep apnea testing is appropriate for some adults with suspected obstructive sleep apnea, while others need an overnight study at an accredited sleep center
Since home tests collect less information, a sleep specialist decides whether they provide enough detail or whether a sleep-center study is needed. With both options available, more women have a practical route toward learning whether their breathing is being disrupted during sleep
Too many women spend years treating exhaustion as a normal response to stress or aging, even after sleep stops helping them feel rested. But greater awareness encourages patients and clinicians to discuss whether an ongoing sleep problem could be contributing to that exhaustion
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says women’s sleep concerns often go unnoticed, partly due to limited awareness among patients and physicians. And with those concerns receiving more attention, clinicians have more reason to ask about sleep when fatigue or insomnia continues without a clear explanation
Still, familiar warning signs deserve direct attention, especially loud snoring or waking while gasping. And women entering perimenopause or menopause also need room to discuss whether hormonal changes fully explain what they are experiencing
With more than one possible cause to examine, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute advises women with ongoing symptoms or sleep apnea risk factors to speak with a healthcare provider
This story was produced by Sleeping.com and reviewed and distributed by Stacker
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