Comparison of Sleep patterns in Menopausal and Non-menopausal Women: Results of the First Phase of Shahedieh Cohort Study

Sleep disorders adversely affect human health. The present study aimed to compare the sleep patterns of menopausal and non-menopausal women.

This case-control study was based on the data of the first phase of Shahedieh cohort study in Yazd, Iran during 2015-2016. The case group included menopausal women (n = 1,709), and the control group included non-menopausal women (n = 3,121). The study variables were assessed by the questions regarding the menopause status and sleep. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 20.

The sleep duration of the menopausal and non-menopausal women was  7.1 ± 1.3 and 7.4 ± 1.3 hours, respectively (P = 0.001). Most of the menopausal women reported the restless legs syndrome during sleep, naps during the day without specific activity, and using sleeping pills more than twice weekly. After adjusting the effect of the other variables, the possibility of the sleep duration of less than six hours or more than eight hours in the menopausal women was 13 times higher than the non-menopausal women, while the correlation was not considered significant (OR = 1.13; 95% CI = 0.98-1.29; P = 0.07).

The prevalence of sleep disorders (e.g., sleep latency, restless legs syndrome, naps during the day, use of sleeping pills) was higher in the menopausal women.