Somnological status of women in late reproductive and perimenopausal periods during treatment of sleep disorders using partial light deprivation

Abstract

To study the characteristics of somnological status in women in the late reproductive, pre- and postmenopausal periods before and after partial light deprivation. One hundred and eighty-four women of menopausal age were included. A polysomnographic study of night sleep was performed and the excretion of the morning fraction of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin in the urine was measured before and after partial light deprivation in the light-saturated months of the year (from April to October) using optical lenses with a mineral photochromic coating. The following characteristics of sleep for women with a neuro-vegetative form of menopausal syndrome are identified: the deterioration in the overall effectiveness of sleep, consisting in the increase of 'apnea-hypopnea sleep' in women in premenopause and menopause compared to women in late reproductive period, the increase in the duration of superficial stages of slow-wave sleep, the decrease in the duration of paradoxical sleep, the prevalence of slow-wave sleep in all sleep cycles, the decrease in the duration of paradoxical sleep, the increase in wakefulness in sleep, motor activity and desaturation during sleep that is accompanied by the decrease in the level of 6-sulfate-oxymelatonin in the morning urine compared to women in the late reproductive period. After the use of partial light deprivation, the parameters of the subjective assessment of sleep quality improved in the majority of women and polysomnographic patterns, including the significant increase in melatonin production, reached the normal levels.