Longitudinal Study of Insomnia Symptoms Among Women During Perimenopause.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of insomnia symptoms among women during perimenopause and to examine differences in self-reported insomnia symptoms at different stages of perimenopause over 10 years.

DESIGN: Secondary analysis of self-reported sleep symptoms and clinical variables using 10 years of publicly available data from the Study of Women Across the Nation (SWAN).

SETTING: The data set of women's insomnia symptoms was obtained from publicly available data from the SWAN. The parent study settings included Detroit, Michigan; Northern New Jersey; Los Angeles, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

PARTICIPANTS: Multiethnic midlife women with a mean age of 46 years (N = 3,302) categorized as pre- and perimenopausal at baseline.

METHODS: Dependent variables included self-reported insomnia symptoms: difficulty falling asleep (sleep latency), wake after sleep onset, early morning awakenings, and sleep quality. Descriptive analysis was completed for each 1-year study interval. Repeated measures logistic regression was used to identify whether insomnia symptoms changed over time by stage of perimenopause.

RESULTS: Insomnia symptoms were present in 31% to 42% of perimenopausal women at any 1-year study interval. Insomnia symptoms were more prevalent in the late stage of perimenopause than the early stage (p < .001). The odds of having any insomnia symptoms were 1.3 times greater for women in the late stage of perimenopause than in the early stage (95% confidence interval [1.2, 1.5], p < .001).

CONCLUSION: Insomnia symptoms are prevalent in women transitioning to menopause, and stage of perimenopause may heighten the risk to develop symptoms of insomnia disorder, which is associated with negative cardiometabolic outcomes.