P078 Wool vs cotton sleepwear: effects on menopausal sleep and comfort

Abstract Aim This pilot study evaluated the impact of wool vs cotton sleepwear on sleep, vasomotor symptoms, thermal comfort, and mood in peri- and postmenopausal women. Method A randomised, crossover, triple-blind trial was conducted with 16 women (51.4 ± 4.2 years) in a controlled environment (30.1 ± 0.5°C, 46.4 ± 2.7% RH). Women aged 45-65 years experiencing daily vasomotor symptoms were eligible. Exclusion criteria included hormone replacement therapy, shift work, recent transmeridian travel, or any condition impacting sleep patterns. Objective sleep was measured via polysomnography (PSG). Subjective ratings of vasomotor symptom severity, thermal comfort, and mood were recorded using the Modified Greene Climacteric Scale and the Clothing Comfort Mood Scales at three time points: before changing, bedtime, and wake-up. Result Cotton sleepwear was rated higher for pre-sleep thermal and physical comfort, suggesting better ease into sleep. Wool sleepwear was associated with higher wake-up contentedness, suggesting improved perceived sleep quality. PSG results revealed non-significant differences in sleep parameters between materials (Cohen’s d < 0.2). Vasomotor symptoms scores were mild across conditions (2.2 ± 1.0 for wool and 2.2 ± 1.1 for cotton; p=.850). Conclusion Despite minimal differences in objective sleep, subjective responses suggest cotton may aid sleep initiation, while wool may enhance morning mood. Strengths of this study include its rigorous randomised, crossover, repeated-measures, and triple-blind design, which reduced bias. Limitations include the small sample size and mild symptom severity, affecting generalisability. Future research should target participants with severe vasomotor symptoms and examine longer-term adaptation effects.