Let’s face it. A great night of sleep changes everything. When you get 8 hours of sleep, you have more focus, more stamina, more creativity, more resilience. Sleep makes you a more patient family member and a more astute business person. But there are several sleep issues that stand in the way of this for men.
Obstructive sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea causes men to stop breathing many times a night. This is because the muscles at the back of their throat do not work properly. Men suffer from this at a rate of 5:1 versus women, and it can cause serious problems. OSA can lead to high blood pressure and heart problems, ruin your sleep and make you groggy for the next day, as well as affect your relationships in the bedroom.
Shift work
Although women also do shift work, it is more prevalent in the male population. Many careers call on men to work an 8 hour shift, either days, evenings, or nights. After working a week of days, a man will move on to a week of evenings, and then nights. This disrupts everything about a man’s sleep schedule (and eating schedule, for that matter!)
Delayed sleep phase disorder
This disorder is a disruption of the normal circadian rhythms of sleep that results in a person going to sleep about 2 hours after a normal bedtime. Between 7 and 16 percent of teens and young adults suffer from this, affecting both school and work because it is so difficult to get up in the morning.
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a condition in which a person randomly falls asleep in the middle of the day, even while talking to a friend, working, or doing other daily activities. It is sometimes accompanied by cataplexy, a total loss of muscle tone. Narcolepsy makes normal sleep at night nearly impossible.
This list is just a handful of reasons men struggle to get a good night’s sleep. A restful sleep is a time for our bodies and minds to rejuvenate and get ready for the coming day, and these problems really get in the way of that.
