An Overview of Sex and Gender Considerations in Sleep and Alcohol Use

This paper explored the under-researched bidirectional alcohol/sleep link, examining sex and gender’s impact on this relationship and treatment.

Although men have traditionally shown higher alcohol use than women, this gap is narrowing. Regarding sleep disorders, women are more likely to have insomnia and men are more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea. Alcohol is more likely to impact self-reported insomnia symptoms in women (sleep onset latency, daytime dysfunction) and sleep duration, fragmentation, and sleep architecture in men. Sex and gender differences may depend on age, sex hormones, and alcohol/sleep disorder severity. Women are more likely to seek insomnia treatment and engage in behavior changes, but less alcohol treatment than men.

Biological (sex) and psychosocial (gender) factors affect alcohol’s impact on sleep (and vice versa) and treatment seeking. Adopting a sex and gender lens-based framework is a high priority for comprehensive alcohol and sleep health research and clinical care.