TGNC=Too Few ZZZZZs

A retrospective study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine explored the connections between/among sleep disorders, cisgender youth, trans- or gender nonconforming (TGNF) individuals, gender-affirming therapy (GAT), and transitioning. Over 1.2 million people (aged 12-25), 2,600 of whom identified as TGNF, were included. In TGNF vs cisgender youth, odds ratios of insomnia was 5.4, sleep apnea 3.0, other sleep disorders 3.1. Those in the TGNF group who were receiving GAT had decreased odds of sleep disorders compared to TGNF not receiving GAT.

“Given this higher prevalence of sleep disorders in relation to cisgender youth, clinicians should consider screening and testing this population for such disorders,” commented first author Ronald Gavidia, MD, MS, a sleep medicine physician in the University of Michigan Health Department of Neurology’s Division of Sleep Medicine and an assistant professor of neurology at U-M Medical School. The study concluded, “This study demonstrated a high burden of sleep disorders in TGNC youth in comparison to cisgender. However, GAT may confer a protective effect on sleep disorders among TGNC youth. Longitudinal assessments of sleep disorders prior to and post-GAT are needed to uncover their temporal relationships.”

 

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Other Categories:

• gender differences

• research/study

• sleep disorders