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Menopause Int. 2008 Sep;14(3):97-104.

Objective:

To examine the sleep characteristics in three cross-sectional populations: young, premenopausal and postmenopausal women, and the associations between sleep, menopause, mood and cognitive performance. STUDY

Design:

Twenty-one premenopausal (45-51 years), 29 postmenopausal (59-71 years) and 11 young (20-26 years, using oral contraceptives) women were recruited. Polysomnography was used to measure objective sleep quality. Subjective sleep quality, sleepiness and mood were assessed using questionnaires. Cognitive performance was investigated by means of three attentional tests.

Results:

Total sleep time in pre- and postmenopausal women was similar (404.9 and 384.7 minutes), but shorter than in young women (448.2 minutes, P = 0.030 and <0.003, respectively). Sleep efficiency followed the same pattern, being 84.3% in premenopausal (P = 0.027), 80.2% in postmenopausal (P < 0.003) and 93.4% in young women. Pre- and postmenopausal women had less slow wave sleep (duration or activity) and more wake time after sleep onset (duration or frequency). Insomnia complaints were more frequent after the menopause (P = 0.023). Sleepiness and mood scores were similar in all groups. Reaction speeds slowed with increasing age. After the menopause, better cognitive performance was associated with more rapid eye movement sleep. CONCLUSION: Objective sleep measures differed significantly between the young and postmenopausal groups. These differences may be more because of the physiology of ageing than the rapid changes across the menopause, since similar sleep characteristics were already present in the premenopausal women. The increase in sleep complaints after menopause was not associated with sleepiness or disturbances in objective sleep quality, mood or cognitive performance.

Please click on the required question.

• 1 What will happen to me at my menopause?
• 2 Why does nature put women through the menopause?
• 3 Is life-expectancy changing?
• 4 What happens to my reproductive hormones at the menopause?
• 5 What non-hormonal changes occur at the menopause?
• 6 What problems might I have as a result of my menopause?
• 7 When am I likely to reach my menopause?
• 8 What is a premature menopause?
• 9 What are hot flushes and will HRT reduce them?
• 10 What causes hot flushes and night sweats?
• 11 Can my bladder problems be related to the menopause?
• 12 Can the menopause be associated with psychological problems.
• 13 How long can my menopausal (climacteric) symptoms last?
• 14 Is there a test that will accurately determine when my menopause has occurred?
• 15 Is it normal to experience heavy periods before the menopause?
• 16 How are heavy periods around the time of the menopause treated?
• 17 Is there a need to investigate vaginal bleeding after the menopause (postmenopausal bleeding)?
• 18 What could be the cause of vaginal bleeding after the menopause?
• 19 What is atrophic vaginitis?
• 20 What local genital symptoms can be associated with the menopause?
• 21 I have gone through the menopause and now have some bleeding (postmenopausal bleeding PMB). What will my gynaecologist wish to do?
• 22 Could I have any other long-term medical problems resulting from my menopause?
• 23 What is coronary heart disease?
• 24 What is osteoporosis?
• 25 Where else can I obtain further information?
• 26 Could I have some recommended menopause support groups.

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This is the personal website of David A Viniker MD FRCOG, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Whipps Cross University Hospital, London - Specialist Interests - Reproductive Medicine including Infertility, PCOS, PMS, Menopause and HRT.

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