Altered sleep and diurnal consequences in women with dysmenorrhea: study from the EPISONO database.

Purpose: Our study aimed to identify alterations in sleep, inflammatory mediators, fatigue and quality of life in women with dysmenorrhea and compare them to women without dysmenorrhea.

Methods: The sample comprised 328 women from a Brazilian cross-sectional sleep study, EPISONO (2007), who had undergone 1-night polysomnography (PSG) type I and completed questionnaires related to sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. Blood samples were used to assess levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and C-reactive protein (CRP). The 2 groups were distributed based on the presence or absence of dysmenorrhea symptoms.

Results: Sleep efficiency was significantly lower in the group of women with dysmenorrhea (82.5% ± 13.8) compared to the non-dysmenorrhea group (86.2% ± 10.9). Dysmenorrhea was associated with significantly higher scores of fatigue and worse scores in the physical quality of life. No statistical differences were detected in inflammatory markers between the 2 groups.

Discussion: Fatigue and physical quality of life were presented in women with dysmenorrhea, as was reduced sleep efficiency, although no alteration on inflammatory markers were observed.

Conclusion: These findings show that dysmenorrhea can have a deleterious effect on women's sleep, with repercussions on daily routines and quality of life.