Sleep facts every woman needs to know - are you getting enough?
Plus: 👩🍼Millie Bobby Brown on motherhood ✅ Women's health and safety 🙅♀️Stereotypes for the bin
Sleep has become something many of us feel we need to optimise, track and perfect - but in trying to control it, we may actually be making it harder. Sleep Physiologist and Behavioural Sleep Medicine Specialist Stephanie Romiszewski unpacks why women’s sleep is often misunderstood, separating common myths from the science behind how we really sleep.
From the impact of caregiving and hormones to the pressure of chasing the “perfect” night’s sleep, she explains why sleep naturally changes throughout life and why a more flexible, evidence-based approach can help us sleep better.
Read the full article below.
In this issue of Take The Lead we’re talking about the moments, stories and changes shaping conversations around women.
Millie Bobby Brown opened up about motherhood, sharing that she has become more emotional since having her daughter — and why she’s proud of that vulnerability rather than apologising for it.
We’re also looking at two major developments in women’s health and safety: new NHS tests that could help speed up endometriosis diagnosis, and plans to increase sentences for people who murder a current or former partner.
Plus, we asked the cast of Prime Video’s ELLE which stereotypes about women they can’t stand — and their answers are ones we think many people will relate to.
Across our channels, we’ll continue sharing the latest stories, research and conversations affecting women.
Enjoy, share with your friends, and let us know what you think!
The Female Lead Team
We’re talking about…
🩺 Two new NHS tests could speed up endometriosis diagnosis - For many people with endometriosis, getting a diagnosis takes an average of around nine years. But two new non-invasive tests are set to be introduced on the NHS, helping doctors identify the condition much sooner.
One test uses a saliva sample to detect biomarkers linked to endometriosis, while the other measures electrical signals in the gut using sensors placed on the abdomen, with results available in around 45 minutes. NICE says the tests could reduce diagnosis times from years to just weeks, helping people access treatment sooner.
⚖️ Tougher sentences planned for domestic killers - The UK Government has announced plans to increase the starting prison sentence for people who murder a current or former partner, closing a sentencing gap campaigners have challenged for years.
Under the current system, domestic murders involving a weapon already in the home can receive a lower starting sentence than those where a weapon is brought to the scene. The Ministry of Justice says the change will ensure domestic killings are treated more consistently. More than one in five homicides in England and Wales are domestic, with women making up the vast majority of victims.
Inspire me…
For years, women have been criticised for being “too emotional” - expected to hold everything together while apologising for every tear.
Millie Bobby Brown says becoming a mother changed that. She revealed that her daughter makes her cry every day (almost!), but instead of seeing that as a weakness, she now embraces it. Being emotional doesn’t have to be something to overcome. It’s something to be proud of.
Women experience sleep differently to men - are you getting enough?
By Stephanie Romiszewski, Sleep Physiologist and Behavioural Sleep Medicine Specialist
Twenty years ago, as a young woman entering a field where many established voices had built their careers around traditional sleep advice, challenging some of those assumptions was not always popular. I started to question the growing tendency to treat sleep as something that can be engineered through increasingly complicated rules, routines and rituals.
My work has focused on helping people step away from the fear, pressure and misinformation that surrounds sleep and understand the biological systems that drive it. That means looking beyond sleep hygiene checklists, beyond the pursuit of the perfect bedtime routine and beyond the assumption that women’s sleep difficulties can always be explained by hormones.
Final thought…
We asked the cast of Prime Video’s new series ELLE which stereotypes about women they wish would disappear for good - and their answers didn’t disappoint. We couldn’t agree more.
ELLE is streaming now.
Become a paid supporter
The Female Lead is a charity on a mission to empower women.
In the last 8 years, we have given access to books and teaching materials to 2.5 million students in 25,000 schools around the world. We carry out research that reframes our understanding of women’s experience, such as our Fulfilment Findersurvey which reveals what matters most to women at different life stages. It has now been completed by 150,000 women globally.
We can’t run the charity without your support.
For just £3.50 a month or £25 a year, you can make a huge difference.
Your donations allow us to continue to provide teaching resources and education to girls and women around the world, conduct groundbreaking research, and share science and stories online.
By pledging to make a donation, you get a host of other benefits like:
Access to our full archive of content on everything from advice from CEOs, to early menopause, to the brain impact of the mental load
Get the first look at our research reports busting myths around women
A virtual supporter badge to share and display online