Chemicals Disrupt Rest

Women in midlife often experience sleep difficulties. Some can be attributed to changing hormones and daily stressors. A new study now points to an additional cause — environmental chemicals. 

 

Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as phthalates, seems to have an impact on sleep in menopausal women.

 

According to a July 29 article on Medical Xpress, phthalates are found in industrial plasticizers and chemical stabilizers. The chemicals often are used in personal care products.

 

Even though many people are exposed to them, phthalates concentrate more in women than men, the study found. “This study is important because endocrine-disrupting chemicals are everywhere,” said Stephanie Faubion, a women’s health physician at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and the medical director for The North American Menopause Society. “It provides additional evidence of potential sex differences in endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure (in this case, phthalates) and impact on health.”