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Published on: August 8, 2019
Sleep in post-menopausal women: differences between early and late post-menopause
Helena Hachul1, Lia Rita Azeredo Bittencourt, José Maria Soares
1Department of Gynaecology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil. helenahachul@psicobio.epm.br
Summary
Sleep complaints like pain and anxiety were more common in late post-menopausal women, while memory issues were more frequent in early post-menopausal women. Polysomnography showed no objective sleep differences.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Endocrinology
- Sleep Medicine
- Women's Health
Background:
- Menopause is a natural biological transition.
- Sleep disturbances are common in post-menopausal women.
- Understanding sleep differences based on menopausal stage is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare subjective and objective sleep experiences between early and late post-menopausal women.
- To identify specific sleep-related complaints associated with different stages of post-menopause.
Main Methods:
- Study included 30 post-menopausal women, divided into early (<=5 years) and late (>5 years) groups.
- Participants completed sleep questionnaires and underwent polysomnography.
- Exclusion criteria included other clinical diseases, hormone therapy, or hypnotic drug use.
Main Results:
- Late post-menopausal women reported more frequent body pain, bruxism, anxiety, depression, lack of concentration, and sleepiness.
- Early post-menopausal women reported more memory impairment complaints (p<0.05).
- Polysomnography revealed no significant objective sleep differences between the groups.
Conclusions:
- Sleep complaints are more prevalent in the late post-menopausal stage.
- Despite subjective differences, objective sleep patterns did not differ between early and late post-menopausal women.
- Further research may explore underlying mechanisms for subjective sleep complaints in late post-menopause.
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