A new study that was recently presented at the Menopause conference and published in the Menopause journal found that older women who have sleep patterns that are both unreliable and of poor quality have an increased risk of developing mental illness. The researchers looked at data from more than 1,600 women between the ages of 57 and 85. They discovered that individuals with issues with the quality of their sleep had an elevated risk of mental health issues such as sadness and anxiety, as well as cognitive deterioration.
Although this is not the first study to demonstrate a connection between sleep issues and mental health, it is one of the first studies to concentrate solely on the experiences of older women. The research also found that women who had issues with the quality of their sleep had a higher chance of other physical health issues, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
According to the study's findings, it is critical for women over the age of 60 to take their sleep issues seriously and get professional assistance if they struggle to fall or stay asleep consistently or experience poor sleep quality. This could suggest that for you to obtain better sleep, you need to adjust some of your habits, such as avoiding caffeine and making sure that the setting in which you sleep is dark and quiet.
"The study demonstrates the importance of creating good communication between physicians and patients, particularly when it comes to older women," comments David Gronte, a senior physician in psychiatry from Linkoping. "This is important to identify and treat possible sleep problems as early as possible to prevent mental and physical ill health," the physician adds.
