Objective:

To investigate subjective sleep quality among women in the menopausal period and to confirm and diagnose the possible sleep disturbances with polysomnographic (PSG) evaluation objectively.

Material and Methods:

Sixty-seven women with menopause were enrolled in the study. Sociodemographic characteristics and the features of menopause were recorded. We assessed subjective sleep quality with Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). To confirm sleep disturbances and further diagnose the underlying cause, PSG evaluation was performed to women with PSQI scores of >5 who gave their approval.

Results:

Mean PSQI score of women with normal PSG evaluation was 12.00±3.16, while it was 11.00±2.32 in women with abnormal PSG evaluation (p=0.466); 59.7% (n=40) of women had poor sleep quality. Among these, 11 (64.7%) had abnormal results in the PSG evaluation and were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS); 54.5% had mild OSAS, 27.3% had moderate, and 18.2% had severe OSAS.

Conclusion:

PSQI and PSG evaluations would give a chance to demonstrate sleep problems and shed a light on treatment options according to the underlying causes of sleep disturbances in menopause.

Keywords: Menopause, sleep disturbance, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, polysomnography