@thesleepneurologist: 🔎What if insomnia isn’t a reason to rule out sleep apnea in women—but a reason to look for it? Women with obstructive sleep apnea do not always present with the stereotypical picture of loud snoring, witnessed pauses in breathing, and obvious daytime sleepiness. Instead, they may report insomnia, waking unrefreshed, morning headaches, or changes in memory—and those symptoms may be blamed on stress, depression, or menopause. Researchers recently proposed a female-focused screening tool called the OSAF-5w. It includes five symptoms: • Snoring • Non-refreshing sleep • Memory impairment • Morning headaches • Insomnia In their female cohort, a score above 2 had 75% sensitivity and 67% specificity for moderate-to-severe sleep apnea. It also performed better than STOP-BANG and the Berlin Questionnaire in that group. This was a preliminary study in a selected sleep-clinic population, so the tool still needs external validation. But the larger message matters: In women, insomnia does not rule out sleep apnea. Sometimes, it is the clue. Save this post—and share it with a woman whose sleep symptoms have been dismissed as “just stress” or “just menopause.” Reference: Trotta L, Antonaglia C, Fabozzi A, et al. Women and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: Can we finally ask the right questions? The OSAF study. Sleep Medicine. 2026;144:108932. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2026.108932 #SleepApnea #WomensHealth #WomenAndSleep #Insomnia #SleepMedicine

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Monday 28 September 2026 19:10:22 GMT