A practical nutritional guide for the management of sleep disturbances in menopause (2020)

ABSTRACT

Sleep disturbances (SD) represent one of the main symptoms of menopause and they are caused by several factors. Hormonal changes such as the reduction of oestrogen levels and the conse- quent vasomotor symptoms (VMS) along with psychiatric disorders such as depression and anx- iety could contribute to the onset of SD. Furthermore, obesity per se or through the obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) could blunt sleep. Moreover, in menopause is usual a reduction in mela- tonin, that could contribute to SD. Nutritional strategies are paramount because they could con- tribute to manage menopause-related SD, in particular tackling obesity and overweight. Furthermore, some foods, such as soy, fish, whole grains, vegetables and fruit could decrease symptoms like depression and VMS, correlated with SD in postmenopausal women. Therefore, the aim of this review is to provide an overview of the current evidence on SD in menopause and to provide nutritional strategies for managing SD in this context.