Sleep-Wake Patterns Among Postmenopausal Women: A 24-Hour Unattended Polysomnographic Study

BACKGROUND: Circadian sleep-wake profiles in postmenopausal women were examined to explore relationships between nocturnal and out-of-bed sleep. METHODS: Twenty-one home recordings were obtained with unattended polysomnography from women ranging from 56 to 77 years of age. RESULTS: While maintaining their daily routines, volunteers slept an average of 439 minutes throughout the 24-hour recordings. Ten percent of the accumulated sleep time was recorded out of bed. CONCLUSIONS: Greater age was associated with more afternoon-evening sleep. Sleep was also frequently observed shortly after volunteers arose from bed in the morning.