Sleep is a necessity of life; however, in a 2007 poll by the National Sleep Foundation, almost one-third of women reported getting “a good night’s sleep” (as defined by respondents) only a few nights a month or less. In the same poll, 39 percent of women reported getting a good night’s sleep every night or almost every night, while another 32 percent report getting a good night’s sleep a few nights a week. Pregnant and postpartum women were more likely than women overall to report rarely or never getting a good night’s sleep (30 and 42 percent versus 15 percent, respectively). Women who reported having a good night’s sleep only a few nights a month or less are significantly more likely than those who reported a good night’s sleep every night or almost every night to experience certain effects of sleep deprivation, including daytime sleepiness at least a few days a week (43 versus 7 percent) and driving drowsy at least once a month (39 versus 18 percent).

Overall, about two-thirds of women reported experiencing a sleep problem at least a few nights a week within the past month, with 46 percent reporting that this occurred every night or almost every night. The most common sleep problem was waking up feeling unrefreshed, which was reported to occur at least a few nights a week by half of all women. Almost half of women (49 percent) reported being awake a lot during the night at least a few nights a week, 37 percent reported difficulty falling asleep a few nights a week, and just over one-third of women reported waking up too early and not being able to fall back asleep.

> Pie Chart: Women Reporting That They Had a Good Night's Sleep, 2007

> Horizontal Bar Chart: Women Reporting Sleep Problems at Least a Few Nights per Week in the Past Month, 2007