Anxiety Baker
Perimenopause As a 54-year-old woman currently in perimenopause, I can attest to sleep disturbances. For about a month this past year, I had hot flashes and insomnia. It miraculously all went away, I’m hoping for good. Getting a full night’s rest is so wonderful when you have experienced the opposite. As I’ve learned from my preceptor, you have to have 1 full year with absolutely no bleeding before considered in full menopause; a chapter that I’m sure is in my future.
Inadequate sleep Depression and Anxiety Baker, Zambotti, Colrain, and Bei, (2018) discuss the relationship between sleep problems with menopausal women and depression. In general, depression increases in menopausal women but the tendency is more with women who are sleep deprived (Baker, Zambotti, Colrain, & Bei, 2018). Once study showed that women who have difficulty getting to sleep have more problems with anxiety and those who have their sleep interrupted have problems with depression (Baker, Zambotti, Colrain, & Bei, 2018). The authors discuss the fact that the circadian rhythm, interrupted during sleep deprivation, plays a role in depression in anxiety (Baker, Zambotti, Colrain, & Bei, 2018).To treat insomnia and depressive symptoms during menopause, there are a few options. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and behavioral therapy have been investigated (Baker, Zambotti, Colrain, & Bei, 2018). Supplements such as soy isoflavones have assisted in reducing menopausal symptoms including sleep deprivation in some women (Baker, Zambotti, Colrain, & Bei, 2018).
Cardiovascular challengesSleep problems interrupt the efficient automaticity of the cardiovascular system and cardiovascular recovery (Baker, Zambotti, Colrain, & Bei, 2018). Insomnia, specifically the shortened amount of sleep has been associated with coronary heart disease, heart failure, hypertension, and acute coronary syndrome (Javaheri & Redline, 2017). Cardiovascular problems are more prevalent when insomnia is chronic; lasting more than three months (Javaheri & Redline, 2017).Behavioral therapy has been known to not only assist with insomnia but with corresponding cardiovascular disease as well (Baker, Zambotti, Colrain, & Bei, 2018).
Physiologic changes in Inflammation and Immune FunctionAukley (2018) discusses the relationship between sleep deprivation and immune function. In studies involving animal models there was shown to be a link between impaired immune function and a loss of sleep (Aukley, 2018). Asif, Iqbal, and Nazir (2017) inform us that wakefulness, rapid eye movement and non-rapid eye movement regulate the immune response. Inflammatory mediators increase in response to sleep loss (Asif, Iqbal, & Nazir, 2017).In addition to regulation of sleep, melatonin, a pineal hormone plays a role in immune system regulation (Jehan et al., 2017). Melatonin has been known to assist with sleep deprivation and related immune challenges (Jehan et al., 2017)
.References
Asif, N., Iqbal, R., & Nazir, C. F. (2017). Human immune system during sleep. American journal of clinical and experimental immunology, 6(6), 92–96.Aukley, D. (2018). Poor sleep in the hospital: Contributing factors and interventions. Retrieved from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/poor-sleep-in-the-hospital-contributing-factors-and-interventions?search=inadequate sleep&source=search_result&selectedTitle=2~150&usage_type=default&display_rank=2Baker,
F. C., de Zambotti, M., Colrain, I. M., & Bei, B. (2018). Sleep problems during the menopausal transition: prevalence, impact, and management challenges. Nature and science of sleep, 10, 73–95. doi:10.2147/NSS.S125807Javaheri, S., & Redline, S. (2017). Insomnia and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease. Chest, 152(2), 435–444. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2017.01.026Jehan,
S., Jean-Louis, G., Zizi, F., Auguste, E., Pandi-Perumal, S. R., Gupta, R., … Brzezinski, A. (2017). Sleep, Melatonin, and the Menopausal Transition: What Are the Links?. Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil), 10(1), 11–18. doi:10.5935/1984-0063.20170003
