Sleep in women across the life cycle from adulthood through menopause.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of literature without systematic review methodology or meta-analysis.
PubMed 12628216 · doi:10.1053/smrv.2001.0228
What was done
The authors reviewed published literature utilizing survey and polysomnographic methods to assess sleep parameters in women across reproductive life stages, including the menstrual cycle, oral contraceptive use, pregnancy, the postpartum period, and menopause.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data. It notes that the literature on the menstrual cycle and oral contraceptives is inconclusive due to small sample sizes and methodological variation. Sleep disruption is noted as nearly universal during pregnancy and postpartum, and menopause is linked to insomnia driven by hot flashes, mood disorders, and sleep-disordered breathing.
Why it matters
This review synthesized the clinical presentation of sleep changes across the female life cycle and highlighted major evidentiary gaps requiring standardized research.
Limits
The abstract describes a narrative review without systematic search criteria or quantitative synthesis. It specifically notes that underlying studies suffer from small sample sizes, diverse methodologies, a lack of longitudinal postpartum data, and insufficient evidence to draw definitive conclusions on menstrual and oral contraceptive effects.
Cited by
- supports Prior scientific research examining sleep quality across the menstrual cycle is limited and relies predominantly on questionnaires or polysomnography measured across only a few isolated days.