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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2025; 18(04): e410-e419
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1813728
Original Article

Is Anxiety Associated with Vasomotor Symptoms in Postmenopausal Women with Insomnia Complaints?

Authors

  • Leandro Lucena

    1   Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

  • Beatriz Hachul de Campos

    1   Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

  • Letícia Dimov

    1   Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

  • Sergio Tufik

    1   Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
    2   Sleep Institute, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

  • Helena Hachul

    1   Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
    2   Sleep Institute, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
    3   Department of Gynecology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Funding This research was supported by the Associação Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa (AFIP), the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) – Finance Code 001, and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). LL is recipient of CNPq fellowships. No sponsorship was received for the publication of this manuscript.
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Abstract

Objective

This study investigated the relationship between hot flashes, menopausal symptoms, anxiety, depression, and insomnia in postmenopausal women with insomnia complaints.

Methods

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted with 71 postmenopausal women experiencing insomnia, divided into two groups based on the presence of vasomotor symptoms: 41 participants reported hot flashes in the past month, while 30 did not. All participants completed validated questionnaires, including the Blatt-Kupperman Menopausal Index, Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI).

Results

Women experiencing hot flashes showed a significant association between elevated anxiety levels and menopausal symptoms. Across the entire sample, anxiety levels strongly correlated with the severity of menopausal symptoms. Participants with hot flashes were more likely to be classified as having severe anxiety based on BAI results compared with those without vasomotor symptoms. However, no significant differences were found in depression or insomnia severity between the groups.

Conclusions

Vasomotor symptoms are associated with higher anxiety levels and more pronounced menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women with insomnia complaints. These findings highlight the potential impact of hot flashes on emotional well-being and overall health during postmenopause.

Keywords

postmenopause - hot flashes - anxiety - depression - insomnia

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 30 November 2024

Accepted: 24 August 2025

Article published online:
31 December 2025

© 2025. Brazilian Sleep Academy. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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