A systematic review of the longitudinal relationships between subjective sleep disturbance and menopausal stage

• Self-reported sleep disturbance is a core menopausal symptom.
• Methodological quality of included studies is overall high.
• Cultural impact on sleep disturbance and menopausal transition remains unknown.

Sleep disturbance is a common complaint for women going through the menopausal transition. A previous systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies showed a small but significant relationship between self-reported sleep disturbance and menopausal stage and highlighted a possible influence of culture. However, the longitudinal relationship between self-reported sleep disturbance and menopausal transition has not been explored. This paper aimed to review literature on the longitudinal relationship between self-reported sleep disturbance and menopausal transition among community dwelling midlife women. Multiple electronic databases were systematically searched. Literature published prior to 2013 was reviewed. A narrative synthesis was used to analyse the results due to high level of heterogeneity across the included studies. Overall, review of eligible studies showed a small increased risk of self-reported sleep disturbance as women go through the menopausal transition after adjustment of potential confounders. Although the methodological quality of the majority of included studies was classified as high, the impact of culture on this relationship could not be explored, as all of the included studies were conducted in western countries. Like vasomotor symptoms, self-reported sleep disturbance is one of the core menopausal symptoms. Management strategies should be put in place to help women manage sleep disturbance to prevent complications and to improve health related quality of life.