Newswise — The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR®), the leading voice on the study of the biological differences between women and men, will present a poster on “Exploring Sex and Gender Differences in Sleep” at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences (OSSD) on April 24-26 in Minneapolis, Minn.
SWHR® held a scientific roundtable of sleep researchers, scientists and clinicians in October 2013 to discuss sex and gender differences in basic and clinical research on sleep, including sleep therapies. The SWHR® poster will highlight the panel’s research and policy recommendations in this increasingly important field of study.
“There continues to be large knowledge gaps and lack of awareness among the research community regarding sleep in women. The Society for Women’s Health Research is proud to lead the way in examining this critical issue in women’s health,” said Dr. Christine Carter, SWHR® vice president of scientific affairs. “SWHR routinely brings together scientific experts for roundtable meetings to address sex and gender differences in diseases or conditions. Focusing on these differences in sleep research has the potential to accelerate improved care for both women and men, including better diagnosis, treatment and ultimately prevention of sleep disorders and related conditions.”
“There are a variety of ways that women and men describe their experience with different sleep disorders. For instance, with sleep apnea, men report snoring, gasping and sleepiness. Meanwhile, women tend to report fatigue, insomnia and depression,” said Dr. Monica Mallampalli, SWHR® director of scientific programs. “Sex and gender differences also exist in many other areas of sleep biology, including epidemiology, sleep regulation, sleep quality, and diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. SWHR’s poster at the OSSD Annual Meeting will identify research recommendations on how we can learn more about sleep in women.”
OSSD was established by SWHR® in 2006 as the only scientific membership society in North America dedicated to promoting interdisciplinary research on biological sex differences. OSSD was designed to enhance the knowledge of sex and gender differences that impact health by facilitating interdisciplinary communication and collaboration among scientists and clinicians of diverse backgrounds.
SWHR® continues to publish Biology of Sex Differences (BSD), the official journal of OSSD. For more information, visit SWHR.org.
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