Wake Up: Objective and Subjective Assessments of Hot Flashes' Effects on Sleep Don't Always Match

During the menopausal transition, about 40% of women report experiencing sleep disturbances that they equate with hot flashes or night sweats. Many studies of this relation have consisted of self-reports, but other studies involving physiologic measurement of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) have produced conflicting results. Now, researchers for the SWAN FLASHES study have collected both physiologic and self-reported data to gain insight into the effects of VMS on sleep in 51 women (mean age, 58; mean body-mass index, 30 kg/m²) who were monitored during two 48-hour periods. Physiologic assessment of VMS was derived from measurement of sternal skin conductance. Sleep patterns were recorded with actigraphy using a wrist monitor. Participants maintai…