Relationship between gender role, anger expression, thermal discomfort and sleep onset latency in women.

Background: Women with thermal discomfort from cold extremities (hands and feet; TDCE) often suffer from prolonged sleep onset latency (SOL). Suppressed anger could contribute to the genesis of both TDCE and prolonged SOL. The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis whether stereotypic feminine gender socialization (SFGS) is related to anger suppression (experienced anger inwards, Anger-In), which in turn could affect TDCE and SOL.

Cold extremities and difficulties initiating sleep: evidence of co-morbidity from a random sample of a Swiss urban population.

Difficulties initiating sleep (DIS) can frequently occur in psychiatric disorders but also in the general population. The primary vasospastic syndrome is a functional disorder of vascular regulation in otherwise healthy subjects complaining of thermal discomfort from cold extremities (TDCE). Laboratory studies have shown a close relationship between long sleep onset latency and increased distal vasoconstriction in healthy young subjects.