Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores and their relationship with body measurements in late menopause patients

Background/aim: With an increase in life expectancy, women live about one-third of their lives in the postmenopausal period. Our aim was to investigate the findings regarding quality of sleep and sleep apnea in postmenopausal women and research the relationship between sleep complaints and body measurements. Materials and methods: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was administered to all participants and their height, weight, and neck circumferences were measured. Results: A total of 206 patients (mean age: 61.4 ± 8.8 years) were included. Their mean weight gain after menopause was 8.1 ± 12.8 kg, and their mean neck circumference and body mass index was 39.7 ± 2.6 cm and 33.4 ± 2.1, respectively. The rate of patients who snored each night increased from 3.4% to 13.2% (P = 0.000) after menopause. The rate of self-reported poor sleep quality was found in 57.8% of patients according to the PSQI global score (≥5). The prevalence of sleep medication usage increased from 5.8% to 11.2% with menopause. Although body measurements were a little lower in patients with a total PSQI score of less than 5, this difference was insignificant. Conclusion: The prevalence of self-reported poor sleep quality was high in the postmenopausal period and the prevalence of snoring increased significantly with weight gain after menopause.