The Truth About Sleep: Why Women Aren't Getting the Rest They Deserve | Dr. Andrea Matsumura
You’re doing everything right. You're on hormones, you’ve cut the caffeine, maybe you’ve even bought one of those expensive sleep trackers. So why are you still waking up at 3am, wired and restless?
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Andrea Matsumura—board-certified sleep physician and women’s health specialist—to finally unpack why sleep is such a persistent struggle for women, especially during perimenopause and menopause. Andrea breaks down the biological, psychological, and cultural reasons why women are conditioned to expect poor sleep—and why it doesn’t have to be that way.
We talk melatonin myths (the dose matters), the silent epidemic of undiagnosed sleep apnea in women, and why most wearables are only telling part of the story. Andrea also explains why cannabis, supplements, and even hormone therapy may help—but won’t fix the root cause for many women.
Plus, we get into the real reason cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) actually works—if you’re willing to do the work—and how the entire medical system is failing women by ignoring gender-specific data in sleep studies and diagnostics.
If you’re tired of being tired and want real, practical answers—not just another supplement or influencer sleep hack—this conversation is for you.
Highlights
Why hormone therapy helps some women sleep—but not all.
How sleep apnea presents differently in women and often goes undiagnosed.
The truth about melatonin: why most people take the wrong dose at the wrong time.
Cannabis and sleep: what the research really shows.
Why CBT-I is the gold standard for insomnia (and why apps alone aren’t enough).
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Guest Bio:
Dr. Andrea Matsumura MD MS FACP FAASM is a board certified sleep specialist and menopause expert, event and corporate speaker, group facilitator, co-founder of the Portland Menopause Collective, and creator of the Sleep Goddess MD D.R.E.A.M. Sleep Method™ and Sleep Goddess Archetype™.
Dr. Matsumura attended medical school at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. She moved to Portland, Oregon for her residency in Internal Medicine and was an Internal Medicine Physician with Northwest Permanente for 13 years before entering her fellowship in Sleep Medicine. She attended Oregon Health and Science University as a fellow in Sleep Medicine. She became a partner at The Oregon Clinic in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine after completing her fellowship. During her tenure there she focused on women’s health and became a sought-after expert on women and sleep. She is currently the Medical Director of primary care services and medical home development for Cascadia Health in Portland, Oregon and has plans to develop sleep services.
