Sleep Structure of Women in the Climacteric Period

INTRODUCTION: Sleep disorders are one of the most common disorders in women in the climacteric period.The emotional state, the daily life and the functioning of the women in this period are negativelyaffected.Despite the numerous studies on sleep problems in women in the menopausal period, the number of studies investigating the difference between menopausal turnover, menopausal and post-menopausal periods, which constitute the climacteric period, is limited.In this study, women in the climacteric period were divided into three groups as premenopausal, menopausal and postmenopausal, then sleep quality, severity of insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep apnea risk, and accompanying anxiety and depression findings were assessed.The aim of this study was to determine whether there is any difference according to these data between the groups.
METHODS: Totally 152 women who were in the age range of 45-59 years and weredetermined in the climacteric period, also without hormone replacement therapy, any surgical menopause history, have the education level and mental status that can fill the questionnaire and the scale given for evaluationwere volunteered to fill in the informed consent form and participated to the study.The cases were divided into three groups as premenopausal, menopausal and postmenopausal.The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale (PSQS), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Berlin Questionnaire (BQ), Beck Anxiety (BA) and Beck Depression (BD) scales were used in all cases.It was aimed to determine whether there is any difference between the three groups in terms of sleep quality, insomnia severity, daytime sleepiness and accompanying anxiety and depression.
RESULTS: A large proportion of women in all groups had poor sleep quality, a significant number of daytime sleepiness and clinical insomnia, and depression and anxiety in about two thirds.Although sleep quality was found worse in the postmenopausal period comparing to other climacteric periods, there was no significant difference between the groups. Amoderate increase in daytime sleepiness was most commonin women in postmenopausal period as well as subthreshold insomnia,moderate or severe clinical insomnia. Premenopausal, menopausal and postmenopausal women were not significantly different in terms of OSAS risk.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Sleep disorders and depressive symptoms increase in climacteric women, especially in postmenopausalperiod. Women in the postmenopausal period should be given priority in terms of sleep problems and depressive mood,effective treatment of sleep disorders and accompanying depression should be planned and implemented without delay in these women.