Women in midlife aren't sleeping enough, study says
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.
The report acknowledged that
sleep duration changes with age, but that sleep duration and quality are
both impacted by shifts in reproductive hormone levels.
"Also
quite striking is that postmenopausal women (in the report) were more
likely to experience disruptions in sleep quality compared with
premenopausal women in the same age group," Vahratian said in an email.
Vahratian
was motivated to conduct the study because the amount and quality of
sleep people get can affect their health, including the increased risk
for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Her research also focuses on
women's health, aging and transitioning from childbearing age.
But sleep is also a modifiable behavior.
"As
sleep is critical for optimal health and wellbeing, the findings in
this report highlight areas for further research and targeted health
promotion for women in midlife," Vahratian said.
Hormones and sleep
Sleep
experts agree that the findings are consistent with other studies on
the topic, particularly data in the perimenopausal women who complain of
difficulties with insomnia, said Dr. Alon Avidan, professor and vice
chair of the UCLA Department of Neurology at UCLA and director of the
UCLA Sleep Disorders Center. Avidan was not affiliated with this study.
Poor sleep can worsen menopausal symptoms, which can worsen sleep, Avidan said in an email
Insufficient sleep will
exacerbate other issues associated with menopause including mood
disturbance and weight gain, said Natalie Dautovich, assistant professor
of counseling psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and
Environmental Fellow at the National Sleep Foundation.
"These
findings support previous research that indicates that difficulty
sleeping is a major symptom of the menopausal transition," Dautovich
said in an email. "In fact, according to the findings, more than half of
women undergoing the transition are not meeting the recommended sleep
requirements of 7 to 9 hours per night.
"Poor
sleep during the menopausal transition is due to a combination of
biological, psychological and social factors. Vasomotor and hormonal
fluctuations, increased stress, greater caregiving burden, and mood
disturbance can all lead to disrupted sleep during this period."
Vasomotor symptoms include hot flashes and night sweats.
"During
this period, there is marked decrease of estrogen and progesterone
secretion by the ovaries, associated with several other physical,
physiological and psychological changes that directly influences sleep,"
Avidan said. "Progesterone protects younger women from sleep apnea and
snoring and this is lost after menopause. Decreases in progesterone
levels can cause disturbed sleep as progesterone has both hypnotic and
stress-relieving effects."
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