Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Women's Perspective

The main characteristics of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) are airflow limitation, chronic intermittent hypoxia, or apnea; which may lead to tissue hypoperfusion and recurrent arousal from sleep. These episodes of hypoxia or apnea can lead to tissue inflammation, and are causal factors of disturbed sleep in both men and women. Several lines of evidence suggest that sleep patterns differ along the lifespan in both male and female subjects, and this may result from the influence of female gonadotropic hormones on sleep. Compared to men, women have more sleep complaints, as women's sleep is not only influenced by gonadotropins, but also by conditions related to these hormones, such as pregnancy. It is therefore not surprising that sleep disturbances are seen during menopause, too. Factors that may play a role in this type of SDB in women include vasomotor symptoms, changing reproductive hormone levels, circadian rhythm abnormalities, mood disorders, coexistent medical conditions, and lifestyle factors.