Keeping the Women we Love Healthy

In August 2107, our very own Dr. Andrea LaCroix presented the health benefits of sleep during the Howell Lecture Series I mproving the Snooze: Sleepi ng Better as we Age .  "Almost everything is related in some way to our ability to function as we grow older; and sleep is perhaps one of the most important functions,"  comments Dr. LaCroix.  She, along with Dr. Carole Banka, Dr. Meg Richman and Board Chair and Registered Nurse Abigail D'Agostino, are part of the Foundation's Speakers Service; a newly launched initiative focused on extending the organization's mission of "keeping the women we love healthy." The 5 takeaways of her presentation are: 1. Sleep is regulated by a process called homeostatic process.  It means that the body is set up to want to be in balance with other internal processes. Our sleep drive -- when we get tired and feel sleepy, that drive to sleep -- is balanced with the way we operate while awake.  There are many internal and...

The National Sleep Foundation paints a pretty clear picture on how lack of sleep affects women and their health, how they cope and a few recommendations on how to get a good night's sleep.  Led by a panel of experts, the study concludes that women are not sleeping well, affecting all aspects of their lives.  As a coping mechanism, women tend to sacrifice sleep in order to "do it all" without realizing that biological factors, in addition to lifestyles, have an impact on their sleep and as a result, on their health. As to why women need more sleep than men, researchers point out that women typically multi-task, using more of their brain and needing more sleep at the end of the day than men-- around 20 minutes more.  So the "5-more-minutes" actually might have some science to it! Ready to 'Spring Forward'?                                           ...

This study of the National Sleep Foundation paints a pretty clear picture on how lack of sleep affects women and their health, how they cope and a few recommendations on how to get a good night's sleep. Led by a panel of experts, the study concludes that women are not sleeping well, affecting all aspects of their lives.  As a coping mechanism, women tend to sacrifice sleep in order to "do it all" without realizing that biological factors, in addition to lifestyles, have an impact on their sleep and as a result, on their health. As to why women need more sleep than men, researchers point out that women typically multi-task, using more of their brain and needing more sleep at the end of the day than men-- around 20 minutes more.  So the "5-more-minutes" actually might have some science to it! As "Sleep Awareness Week" comes to an end, a summary of the most interesting facts of women and sleep below.  --------------- About the ...