Migraines not solely responsible for poor sleep in perimenopausal women, finds study

Poor sleep and migraines increase significantly during the menopause transition, although migraines tend to improve after menopause. A relationship between poor sleep quality and migraine has been previously identified, but the association between poor sleep and migraine in the menopause transition, specifically, remains unclear.

Women are, unfortunately, more likely to get migraines and suffer from poor sleep than men, and the problems only get worse as women transition through menopause. A new study evaluated the association of migraine and sleep quality in premenopausal compared with perimenopausal women. Study results will be presented during The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, October 12-15, 2022.

A new study that included more than 2,000 women sought to evaluate this association and compare it between premenopausal and perimenopausal women, considering potential confounding variables.

Researchers in this cross-sectional study confirmed an association between a history of migraine and poor sleep in premenopausal and perimenopausal women. However, in contrast to the relationship in premenopausal women, the relationship appears to be explained by other factors known to affect sleep in the menopause transition, such as body mass index, anxiety, depression, and the presence of hot flashes in perimenopausal women.