Prevalence and Correlates of Sleep Disturbance in Postmenopausal Women: The Australian Healthy Aging of Women (HOW) Study

Sleep disturbance in midlife women has been studied extensively, although less is known about sleep after menopause. This study examined the relative impact of sociodemographics, modifiable lifestyle factors, and health status on sleep disturbance in postmenopausal women from Queensland, Australia. The longitudinal Healthy Aging of Women (HOW) Study examines health-related quality of life (HRQOL measured by the 12-item Short Form [SF-12(®)] survey [Medical Outcomes Trust, Hanover, CA]); chronic illness; modifiable lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, alcohol consumption, smoking; and sleep disturbance (General Sleep Disturbance Scale [GSDS] (Lee, San Francisco, CA) ≥43 represents poor sleep) in midlife and older women from low- and high-socioeconomic rural and urban areas of South East Queensland, Australia. This article presents cross-sectional data from the 322 women, aged 60-70 years, participating in the HOW study in 2011. For women in this study, sleep disturbance was relatively common, with 23% (n=83) reporting poor sleeping (GSDS ≥43). Sleep-disturbance scores were strongly correlated with being unemployed or on a disability support pension (β=18.69, p