Sleep in post-menopausal women: differences between early and late post-menopause.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in sleep between women of early and late post-menopause.

STUDY

DESIGN

Thirty post-menopausal women who came to the climacteric service of their own volition were selected. Fourteen were in early post-menopause (less than 5 years after menopause), and sixteen were in late post-menopause (more than 5 years since menopause). None of the women were suffering from any other clinical diseases. Participants had no previous history of hormone therapy or hypnotic drug use. These patients were not previously selected with regard to any sleep complaints. All participants answered a sleep questionnaire and underwent a polysomnography recording.

RESULTS

Subjective complaints included body pain, bruxism, anxiety, depression, lack of concentration, and sleepiness (measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale). These complaints were more frequent in the late post-menopause group. In contrast, complaints of memory impairment were more frequent in the early post-menopause group (p<or=0.05). Polysomnographic findings revealed no differences between the early and late post-menopause groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Although early menopause is associated with several symptoms, complaints related to sleep were higher in the late post-menopausal group.