Discoveries Reveal Impact of Women's Heart Health During Menopause on Their Later Years
Sleep Quality and Cardiovascular Health During Menopause
A new study published in the journal Menopause has shed light on the relationship between lifestyle and biological metrics during the menopause transition and long-term cardiovascular outcomes. The study, involving nearly 2,924 women with an average age of 46, from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN), found that sleep quality plays a crucial role in heart health during this period.
The researchers used the American Heart Association's "Life's Essential 8" (LE8) checklist to group eight key metrics: diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep, body mass index, cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. At baseline and follow-up visits, the women received scores on these components.
Among the eight LE8 components, blood glucose, blood pressure, and nicotine exposure were most strongly linked with risks across vascular and event outcomes. However, sleep quality stood out as a unique contributor to heart health during menopause.
Better sleep quality, as reflected in better LE8 sleep scores, was associated with better vascular health, fewer cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, and lower all-cause mortality risk in midlife women transitioning through menopause. Menopausal hormonal changes, especially declining estrogen, contribute to sleep disturbances, which in turn increase cardiovascular risk. Sleep disorders like sleep apnea become more common during menopause and worsen heart disease risk.
Improving sleep quality during this period is a promising intervention target. Better sleep not only improves rest but may mitigate elevated cardiovascular risk linked to menopause. The analysis based on the SWAN cohort showed that only about 21% of the midlife women achieved ideal heart health scores (≥80) according to the LE8 tool. However, better sleep scores correlated with fewer cardiovascular events and lower mortality.
In summary, the LE8 study highlights sleep quality as a pivotal and modifiable factor shaping cardiovascular outcomes for women during the menopause transition. Addressing sleep problems during this time could be vital for reducing heart disease risk in midlife women.
Sources: - PatientCareOnline, 2025-08-05 - AOL News, 2025-07-18 - Medical News Today, 2025-07-14 - ConsumerAffairs, 2025-08-01
- The new study regarding sleep quality and cardiovascular health during menopause, published in the journal Menopause, emphasizes the significance of improved sleep quality for women's health and wellness, regardless of medical-conditions like menopause, due to its potential impact on cardiovascular-health.
- Focusing on the American Heart Association's "Life's Essential 8" (LE8) checklist, the study discovered that while blood glucose, blood pressure, and nicotine exposure are vital for vascular and event outcomes, sleep quality emerges as a distinct factor promoting heart health during menopause.
- Women's health experts should consider addressing sleep problems, given their link to increased cardiovascular risk during menopause, as part of comprehensive health-and-wellness programs that consider a range of women's medical-conditions, like menopause.
