The Association Between Self-Compassion and Sleep Among Midlife Women

For many women, midlife and the menopause transition is a period of increased risk for a variety of physical and mental health changes and symptoms, including sleep and mood disturbances. Sleep quality plays a critical role in mental and physical health outcomes. Positive psychological states, such as self-compassion, may be associated with improved sleep quality. Self-compassion may also be associated with better mental health, which in turn may have implications for sleep. We tested whether greater self-compassion was associated with improved sleep quality and fewer insomnia symptoms among 274 midlife women aged 45-67. The role of depressive symptoms and anxiety were also considered in these associations. Greater self-compassion was associated with better sleep quality [B(SE)=-0.027(.006), p<0.001, multivariable] and lower insomnia symptoms [B(SE)=-0.209(.084), p=.013, multivariable] after adjusting for confounders. Mood symptoms, including depression and anxiety, emerged as significant partial and full mediators, respectively, of the relationship between self-compassion and sleep. These findings have important public health implications, as interventions to improve women’s self-compassion may reduce the negative physiologic and psychological health effects of the menopause transition by improving mood, which in turn can improve sleep.