Story highlights Women between the ages of 40 and 59 are more likely to experience issues of sleep quality and duration

Sleep and menopausal transition symptoms directly affect each other adversely

(CNN) Women going through midlife aren't getting enough sleep, according to a new government report.

More than one in four middle-aged women reported experiencing difficulty falling and staying asleep four or more times during the week. More than one in three women reported getting fewer than seven hours of sleep per night, on average. Of those, perimenopausal women -- women who were no longer menstruating and on the verge of menopause -- were the least likely to sleep seven or more hours a night. This was followed closely by postmenopausal women.

"I was surprised to learn that nearly one in two women (in the report) did not wake up feeling well rested four times or more in the past week," said Anjel Vahratian, author of the report and chief of data analysis for the National Center for Health Statistics.

Sleep experts suggest that women within this age range should receive seven to nine hours per night on a regular basis. It can prevent the increased risk for chronic conditions and other adverse health outcomes.

More than 2,800 female participants between ages 40 and 59 were asked questions about the duration and quality of their sleep in a 2015 National Health Interview Survey. The questions included how rested they felt upon waking, how short their sleep was and if they had trouble falling or staying asleep.

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