Women: Sleep-Deprived and Stressed Out!

More than half of American women suffer from a lack of sleep. In a survey conducted last year by the National Sleep Foundation, sixty percent of American women said that they got a decent night's rest only a few days a week or less. More women suffer from sleep-deprivation than men.

Poor sleep is associated with poor mood. Of the women who struggle to get sufficient sleep, about eighty percent were bothered by worry, stress, and anxiety. Over one-half said they felt unhappy, sad or depressed in the past month, and over a third said they felt recently hopeless about the future.

The NSF 2007 poll found that women of all ages are experiencing sleep problems, which change and increase in severity as they move through the different biological stages of their lives. Interestingly, the most sleep-deprived women are stay-at-home moms. No doubt, this is consistent with a mother's tendency to worry, or be stressed out about, her children.

Now, in light of the above information, here's the part of the report that I found to be the most interesting:

American women are struggling to cope with this lack of sleep, but that doesn’t slow them down. Eighty percent of women say that when they experience sleepiness during the day they just accept it and keep going. However, in order to keep going, 65% are likely to use caffeinated beverages, with 37% of all women consuming three or more caffeinated beverages per day. And, despite being frequently tired, women are not heading to bed earlier. In the hour prior to going to bed, instead of retiring early, 87% say they watch television, 60% complete the remainder of their household chores, 37% do activities with children, 36% do activities with other family, 36% are on the Internet and 21% do work related to their job at least a few nights a week.

Andy Rooney once said, "Go to bed. Whatever you're staying up late for isn't worth it." The longer I live, the more I see the wisdom and truthfulness in that statement -- especially when it comes to watching television. On the flip side, I understand how difficult it can be to get some things done while the kids are still up. For many moms, the children's bedtime is their start-time to get certain jobs done that are difficult to do when the kids are awake. And for the 9 out of 10 moms that watch TV despite their tiredness, my guess is that they're looking to have at least a little time to themselves before turning in for the night.

Sleep-stealers such as worry, anxiety, and stress should be given to the Lord through prayer and meditation on the Scriptures. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee" (Isa. 26:3). "It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep" (Psalm 127:2).

My wife is a mother of five and one of the most active, conscientious women I know. Like any mom, she struggles with worry and finds it difficult to do all the things she wants to on any given day. I'm sure she doesn't always get the amount of sleep she would like to get. Yet it is a joy for me to see her meditate on God's Word, cry out to the Lord in prayer, and, at the end of the day, to rest in the arms of her husband and drift off to sleep.

I'm particularly glad that she, with fifty other women in our church, can get away this weekend for some much-needed and well-deserved relaxation and refreshment. I'm sure they will all have a great time . . . though I doubt that they'll be getting much sleep!