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The sleep economy is booming – from hi-tech sleep trackers to apps and cooling mattresses – and its worth is estimated at hundreds of billions of US dollars every year. So why do some of us still have trouble dropping off?

Part of the explanation may lie in our sex, as some studies suggest that women are 40 per cent more likely to experience sleep disruption than men. And throughout a woman’s life, puberty, pregnancy, menopause and caring responsibilities may all have an effect on the amount of good quality sleep available to women.

Kim Chakanetsa is joined by psychologist Dr Christine Blume from the Centre for Chronobiology at the University of Basel in Switzerland. Since April 2022 she has been involved in a four-year project to study the effects of natural daylight and exercise on our circadian rhythms.

Dr Anita Shelgikar is clinical professor of neurology and programme director for the Sleep Medicine Fellowship at the University of Michigan in the United States. She researches a condition called obstructive sleep apnea, where a person's airway narrows during sleep and can cause them to wake repeatedly. This can affect pregnant women in particular.

Produced by Fiona Clampin

(Image: (L) Dr Christine Blume, courtesy of Michael Brauer. (R) Dr Anita Shelgikar, courtesy of University of Michigan Health.)