The Chicago Tribune examines the results of two studies that showed menopause and related insomnia are associated with increased aging and aging-related diseases.
In the menopause study involving over 3,000 women, researchers used a biological clock to study the age of cells from blood and saliva. By comparing the chronological age of a participant to the biological age of the cells, they determined that menopause quickens aging on average by 6 percent.
In a related sleep study with over 2,000 female participants, researchers used the same biological clock and found that insomnia in postmenopausal women increased aging by up to two years.
Women who had an increased biological age reported these common sleep disturbances:
– restless sleep
– waking repeatedly at night
– having difficulty falling asleep
– waking too early in the morning
