Among those aged 40–59, perimenopausal women (56.0%) were more likely than postmenopausal (40.5%) and premenopausal (32.5%) women to sleep less than 7 hours, on average, in a 24-hour period, reports the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
This report describes sleep duration and sleep quality among U.S. nonpregnant women aged 40–59 by menopausal status. Perimenopausal women were most likely to sleep less than 7 hours, on average, in a 24-hour period compared with premenopausal and postmenopausal women. In contrast, postmenopausal women were most likely to have poor-quality sleep. A greater percentage of postmenopausal women had frequent trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and not waking well rested compared with premenopausal women; the percentage of perimenopausal women with poor-quality sleep was between the percentages for the other two groups in all three categories. Sleep duration changes with advancing age, but sleep duration and quality are also influenced by concurrent changes in women’s reproductive hormone levels. Because sleep is critical for optimal health and well-being, the findings in this report highlight areas for further research and targeted health promotion.
