Sex Differences in Insomnia and Circadian Rhythm Disorders: A Systematic Review
Insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders are increasingly common in modern society and lead to significant challenges for people’s health and well-being. Some studies suggests that men and women differ in neurohormonal secretion, biological processes, and brain morphology. Thus, such differences may...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Medicina |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/60/3/474 |
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| author | Evelina Pajėdienė Viltė Urbonavičiūtė Vita Ramanauskaitė Lukas Strazdauskas Ambra Stefani |
| author_facet | Evelina Pajėdienė Viltė Urbonavičiūtė Vita Ramanauskaitė Lukas Strazdauskas Ambra Stefani |
| author_sort | Evelina Pajėdienė |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders are increasingly common in modern society and lead to significant challenges for people’s health and well-being. Some studies suggests that men and women differ in neurohormonal secretion, biological processes, and brain morphology. Thus, such differences may affect the etiology, manifestation, and course of sleep disorders, including insomnia and circadian rhythm. This systematic review aims to synthesize the existing literature on sex differences in insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders. PubMed, MEDLINE, Epistemonikos, and Cochrane databases were searched for articles published from inception until 5 September 2023, not older than five years. We performed a systematic search using MESH and non-MESH queries: (sex differences) or (male and female differences) or (men and women differences) or (men and women) AND (insomnia) or (sleep wake disorder*) or (sleep wake rhythm disorder*) or (circadian rhythm disorder*) or (sleep cycle disruption) or (sleep cycle disorder*). Out off 2833 articles screened, 11 studies were included. The prevalence of insomnia is higher among women, and their sleep is more regular and stable compared to men. Studies evaluating the impact of the stressful situation associated with the lockdown on women’s and men’s insomnia present discordant results concerning sex differences. Women’s circadian rhythm was found to be more stable and less fragmented than men’s. However, the progression of peak activity time with age was more pronounced in men. The current literature suggests that risk factors for insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders affect men and women differently. These include cerebrovascular and cardiometabolic factors, shift work, and infections. The long-term effects of insomnia seem to be more relevant for the male sex, shortening lifespan more than in women. By summarizing and analyzing existing studies, we highlight the need for further research to improve understanding of the interaction between sex and sleep. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:01:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6a494cb7417847fe8868d4f373327129 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1010-660X 1648-9144 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:01:34Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medicina |
| spelling | doaj.art-6a494cb7417847fe8868d4f3733271292024-03-27T13:53:46ZengMDPI AGMedicina1010-660X1648-91442024-03-0160347410.3390/medicina60030474Sex Differences in Insomnia and Circadian Rhythm Disorders: A Systematic ReviewEvelina Pajėdienė0Viltė Urbonavičiūtė1Vita Ramanauskaitė2Lukas Strazdauskas3Ambra Stefani4Department of Neurology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Eivenių g. 2, 50161 Kaunas, LithuaniaFaculty of Medicine, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, A. Mickevičiaus g. 9, 44307 Kaunas, LithuaniaFaculty of Medicine, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, A. Mickevičiaus g. 9, 44307 Kaunas, LithuaniaFaculty of Medicine, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, A. Mickevičiaus g. 9, 44307 Kaunas, LithuaniaDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaInsomnia and circadian rhythm disorders are increasingly common in modern society and lead to significant challenges for people’s health and well-being. Some studies suggests that men and women differ in neurohormonal secretion, biological processes, and brain morphology. Thus, such differences may affect the etiology, manifestation, and course of sleep disorders, including insomnia and circadian rhythm. This systematic review aims to synthesize the existing literature on sex differences in insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders. PubMed, MEDLINE, Epistemonikos, and Cochrane databases were searched for articles published from inception until 5 September 2023, not older than five years. We performed a systematic search using MESH and non-MESH queries: (sex differences) or (male and female differences) or (men and women differences) or (men and women) AND (insomnia) or (sleep wake disorder*) or (sleep wake rhythm disorder*) or (circadian rhythm disorder*) or (sleep cycle disruption) or (sleep cycle disorder*). Out off 2833 articles screened, 11 studies were included. The prevalence of insomnia is higher among women, and their sleep is more regular and stable compared to men. Studies evaluating the impact of the stressful situation associated with the lockdown on women’s and men’s insomnia present discordant results concerning sex differences. Women’s circadian rhythm was found to be more stable and less fragmented than men’s. However, the progression of peak activity time with age was more pronounced in men. The current literature suggests that risk factors for insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders affect men and women differently. These include cerebrovascular and cardiometabolic factors, shift work, and infections. The long-term effects of insomnia seem to be more relevant for the male sex, shortening lifespan more than in women. By summarizing and analyzing existing studies, we highlight the need for further research to improve understanding of the interaction between sex and sleep.https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/60/3/474insomniacircadian rhythm disorderssex differences |
| spellingShingle | Evelina Pajėdienė Viltė Urbonavičiūtė Vita Ramanauskaitė Lukas Strazdauskas Ambra Stefani Sex Differences in Insomnia and Circadian Rhythm Disorders: A Systematic Review Medicina insomnia circadian rhythm disorders sex differences |
| title | Sex Differences in Insomnia and Circadian Rhythm Disorders: A Systematic Review |
| title_full | Sex Differences in Insomnia and Circadian Rhythm Disorders: A Systematic Review |
| title_fullStr | Sex Differences in Insomnia and Circadian Rhythm Disorders: A Systematic Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sex Differences in Insomnia and Circadian Rhythm Disorders: A Systematic Review |
| title_short | Sex Differences in Insomnia and Circadian Rhythm Disorders: A Systematic Review |
| title_sort | sex differences in insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders a systematic review |
| topic | insomnia circadian rhythm disorders sex differences |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/60/3/474 |
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