title: Sleep Disorders in Postmenopausal Women.
abstract: One of the core symptoms of the menopausal transition is sleep disturbance. Peri-menopausal women often complain of difficulties initiating and/or maintaining sleep with frequent nocturnal and early morning awakenings. Factors that may play a role in this type of insomnia include vasomotor symptoms, changing reproductive hormone levels, circadian rhythm abnormalities, mood disorders, coexistent medical conditions, and lifestyle. Other common sleep problems in this age group, such as obstructive sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome, can also worsen the sleep quality. Exogenous melatonin use reportedly induces drowsiness and sleep and may ameliorate sleep disturbances, including the nocturnal awakenings associated with old age and the menopausal transition. Recently, more potent melatonin analogs (selective melatonin-1 (MT1) and melatonin-2 (MT2) receptor agonists) with prolonged effects and slow-release melatonin preparations have been developed. They were found effective in increasing total sleep time and sleep efficiency as well as in reducing sleep latency in insomnia patients. The purpose of this review is to give an overview on the changes in hormonal status to sleep problems among menopausal and postmenopausal women.
authors.affiliation: Center for Healthful Behavior Change, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Shazia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jehan
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Masters-Isarilov
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lutheran Medical center, Brooklyn, USA.
authors.forename: Idoko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Salifu
authors.affiliation: Center for Healthful Behavior Change, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Ferdinand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zizi
authors.affiliation: Center for Healthful Behavior Change, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Girardin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jean-Louis
authors.affiliation: Center for Healthful Behavior Change, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Seithikurippu R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Pandi-Perumal
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Sleep Clinic, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Swami Ram Nagar, Doiwala, Dehradun, India.
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Amnon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brzezinski
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: Samy I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: McFarlane
keywords: Aging; Circadian; Hormone; Melatonin; Menopause; Old; Perimenopausal; Postmenopausal; Premenopausal; Sleep; Women