[Quality of sleep of climacteric women in São Paulo: some significant aspects]

To subjectively evaluate the quality of sleep in menopausal women (35 to 65 years of age)

A questionnaire about personal information, habits/health, sexuality and sleep was administered to 271 women.

The sample under study included mostly married women, professionally active with a higher education and financial status, not using menopause hormone therapy, (MHT) habitual coffee drinkers and limited users of alcohol/tobacco. Most participants habitually had dinner and practiced physical exercises. Subjective evaluation of the quality of sleep was considered poor by 29% of the women in this sample. Menopause and self- awareness of health were the only variables that had a statistically significant relation with the quality of sleep. Perimenopausal women (that is to say from 45 years until one year after menopause) and those after surgical menopause stated the worst quality of sleep, while women at pre-menopause disclosed the best quality of sleep. Women who deemed themselves healthy reported a better quality of sleep than those that mentioned health problems.

quality of sleep worsens during the climacterium and in women that consider themselves sick. Furthermore, there is a considerable lack of knowledge about the basic rules of sleep hygiene among women.