History of Migraine Tied to Poor Sleep in Women

FRIDAY, Oct. 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A history of migraine is associated with poor sleep in both premenopausal and perimenopausal women; however, the reasons why may be different depending on menopause status, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society, held from Oct. 12 to 15 in Atlanta.

Stephanie Faubion, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, and colleagues examined the association of poor sleep and migraine during the menopausal transition. Analysis included 2,067 premenopausal and perimenopausal women participating in the Data Registry on the Experiences of Aging, Menopause and Sexuality study.

The researchers found that 28.7 percent of women reported a history of migraine and 71.2 percent met the criteria for poor sleep. A history of migraine predicted poor sleep in both premenopausal and perimenopausal women (odds ratios [95 percent confidence intervals], 1.56 [1.14 to 2.12; P = 0.005] and 1.60 [1.17 to 2.20; P = 0.004], respectively). A history of migraine remained a predictor of poor sleep in premenopausal women in multivariable analysis (odds ratio, 1.43; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.01 to 2.02; P = 0.042), but not in perimenopausal women (odds ratio, 1.15; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.81 to 1.65; P = 0.43). The model for predicting poor sleep has good discrimination in both groups (c-statistic for predicting poor sleep was 0.74 for premenopausal women and 0.78 for perimenopausal women). In neither group was there a significant association observed between migraine history and sleep duration (no more than seven hours versus more than seven hours).

"Clinicians caring for women with migraine should ask about their sleep quality regardless of menopause status, although management strategies to address poor sleep in migraine sufferers may differ depending on menopause status," Faubion said in a statement.

Press Release

More Information