Impaired sleep quality and mental health are associated with the severity of menopausal symptoms

PURPOSE: We compared sleep quality and mental health in healthy menopausal women and healthy young women. In addition, the impact of the severity of menopausal symptoms on each variable was determined. METHODS: Twenty menopausal women (MW; 49 ± 3 years) and 20 young women (YM; 20 ± 1 years) were recruited. Body composition, mental health scores (evaluated using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale [CES-D], the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 [DASS-21], the School Form-8 [SF-8, health-related QOL]), and sleep score (evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]) were assessed. RESULTS: Body composition did not significantly differ between the groups. In the MW group, the CES-D and DASS-21 scores were significantly higher. Also, PSQI scores were significantly higher, indicating impaired sleep quality. Moreover, women with more severe menopausal symptoms had significantly lower sleep quality and inferior mental stress (evaluated by DASS-21 [Stress]) than those with less-severe symptoms. CONCLUSION: Sleep quality and mental health are negatively impacted by menopause, especially among those with severe symptoms.