Publications by authors named "Paula Alhola"
Aims: The use of hormone therapy (HT) is a relevant and topical issue in the treatment of menopausal symptoms in women. Information regarding the effects of combination treatment with estrogen and progesterone as well as treatment timing on cognitive function is lacking and was evaluated in healthy pre- and postmenopausal women.
Methods: Sixteen premenopausal (45-51 years) and 16 postmenopausal (58-70 years) women were randomly assigned to receive either estrogen + progestin therapy (HT) or placebo (PL) for six months.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to compare sleep characteristics among young, premenopausal, and postmenopausal women, looking into how sleep relates to menopause, mood, and cognitive function.
- Results showed that while total sleep time was shorter in premenopausal and postmenopausal women compared to young women, sleep efficiency was also lower in the older groups, indicating poorer overall sleep quality.
- Interestingly, despite more insomnia complaints in postmenopausal women, their mood and cognitive performance were similar to other groups, suggesting age-related physiological changes might play a role in sleep differences rather than just menopause alone.
Today, prolonged wakefulness is a widespread phenomenon. Nevertheless, in the field of sleep and wakefulness, several unanswered questions remain. Prolonged wakefulness can be due to acute total sleep deprivation (SD) or to chronic partial sleep restriction.
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- A study examined the impact of long-term hormone therapy (HT) on cognitive abilities in 60 postmenopausal women aged 53 to 72 over six years.
- Participants were categorized into three groups: non-HT users, continuous HT users, and irregular HT users.
- Results showed that all women maintained good cognitive performance and long-term HT had no significant effect on cognition, either positive or negative.
The objective was to evaluate whether hormone therapy (HT) gives any benefit against the possible impairment of cognitive performance when challenged by acute sleep deprivation. Twenty postmenopausal women volunteered (age range 59-72 years, mean=64.4 years, SD=4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To study the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance in postmenopausal women and to evaluate whether hormone therapy (HT) has a modifying effect on coping.
Design: Twenty-six postmenopausal women, aged 58 to 72 years (mean 64 years), volunteered for the study (HT users, n = 16; nonusers, n = 10). They spent four consecutive nights in the sleep laboratory.