Altered sleep and diurnal consequences in women with dysmenorrhea: study from the EPISONO database

Our study aimed to identify alterations in sleep, inflammatory mediators, fatigue and quality of life in women with dysmenorrhea and compare them to women without dysmenorrhea.

The sample comprised 328 women from a Brazilian cross-sectional sleep study, EPISONO (2007), who had undergone 1-night polysomnography (PSG) type I and completed questionnaires related to sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. Blood samples were used to assess levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and C-reactive protein (CRP). The 2 groups were distributed based on the presence or absence of dysmenorrhea symptoms.

Sleep efficiency was significantly lower in the group of women with dysmenorrhea (82.5% ± 13.8) compared to the non-dysmenorrhea group (86.2% ± 10.9). Dysmenorrhea was associated with significantly higher scores of fatigue and worse scores in the physical quality of life. No statistical differences were detected in inflammatory markers between the 2 groups.

Fatigue and physical quality of life were presented in women with dysmenorrhea, as was reduced sleep efficiency, although no alteration on inflammatory markers were observed.

These findings show that dysmenorrhea can have a deleterious effect on women’s sleep, with repercussions on daily routines and quality of life.