Home Diabetes and Endocrinology Type 2 Diabetes May Impact Sleep in Middle-Aged Women

Type 2 Diabetes May Impact Sleep in Middle-Aged Women

Findings show more sleep-related symptoms of symptoms of higher severity

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 21, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Middle-aged women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have more sleep disturbances than women without diabetes, even when accounting for menopause and other health issues, according to a study published online Aug. 12 in Menopause.

Eun-Ok Im, Ph.D., from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and colleagues used data from 164 participants of two larger internet survey studies (62 women diagnosed with T2DM and 102 women without diabetes) to evaluate associations between T2DM and sleep-related symptoms among midlife women.

The researchers found that the mean total number of sleep-related symptoms was significantly higher in those with T2DM than those without diabetes. Further, the severity of sleep-related symptoms was also significantly higher in those with T2DM versus those without diabetes. Postmenopausal women and Asian women with T2DM had a significantly higher number and severity of sleep-related symptoms versus women without diabetes. A diagnosis of T2DM was positively associated with total numbers and total severity scores of sleep-related symptoms even when controlling for background characteristics, health status, and menopause status.

“Researchers and healthcare providers need to assess sleep-related symptoms when they provide care for midlife women with T2DM and they need to provide guidelines for improving sleep-related symptoms during their menopausal transition,” the authors write.

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