Association of sleep duration and insomnia with menstrual symptoms among young women in Upper Egypt

Abstract

Abstract Background Disturbed sleep and menstrual symptoms are prevalent health conditions with limited successful treatments. This study aimed to detect the association between sleep problems and menstrual symptoms among young women in Upper Egypt. In this cross-sectional study, 4122 young women aged 12 to 25 years and residing in Beni-Suef City were recruited using a multi-stage random method. The participants were interviewed for their premenstrual disorders, dysmenorrhea, average daily hours of sleep, and insomnia during the previous 6 months. Results Young women who reported sleep < 8 and < 7 h/day had more premenstrual spasm than those who slept ≥ 8 h/day: OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1–1.5 and OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1–1.6, respectively. Hours of sleep were not associated with other menstrual symptoms. Compared with those without insomnia, young women with insomnia were more likely to report premenstrual spasm (OR 2.3, 95% CI 18–2.8), nervousness (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.9–2.8), fatigue (OR 2.9, 95% CI 2.4–3.6), headache (OR 2.6, 95% CI 2.2–3.2), breast pain (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.5–2.3), weight gain (OR 2.6, 95% CI 2.0–3.3), GIT disturbance (OR 2.8, 95% CI 2.2–3.6), and dysmenorrhea (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.6–4.3). Conclusion Insomnia has been shown to be significantly associated with premenstrual symptoms and dysmenorrhea, but no substantial relationship has been indicated between hours of sleep and most menstrual symptoms.