A new study has found that 3:29 a.m. is the most common time that menopausal women wake up at night.
The study reported that three-quarters of menopausal and pre-menopausal women suffer from insomnia caused by hormonal change after menopause.
A survey of 2,005 pre-menopausal or menopausal women highlighted one of the most distressing symptoms, according to the paper published on World Menopause Day, October 18.
The results indicate that nearly three-quarters of women surveyed by Dunelm (69%) said that not being able to sleep at night was detrimental to their emotional health.
Dr. Claire Spencer, co-founder of the Menopause Center and a member of the British Menopause Society's Medical Advisory Committee, explained that women who are experiencing menopause may find it difficult to sleep and may wake up during the night, which may affect daily function and performance.
She pointed out that there are physical and psychological reasons that may cause women to suffer from insomnia after menopause.
Physical symptoms include joint pain, hot flashes, night sweats, and the need to use the toilet frequently, Dr. Spencer said.
Psychologically, a change in hormone levels can lead to increased stress, anxiety, low mood, and depression, which may affect sleep patterns.
Dr. Spencer added: “Studies have shown that lack of sleep can actually affect your mood, causing your mind to focus on negative thinking and even tending to your mind to remember unhappy events instead of happy ones. It can also impair your judgment and concentration, which doesn’t help "Experience post-menopausal brain fog."
Dr. Spencer explained that insufficient sleep can lead to greater accident risk because lack of sleep impairs reaction time.
To improve restless nights, Dr. Spencer advises avoiding too much caffeine, increasing exercise, avoiding large meals before bed, and stopping smoking. She added that controlling stress and anxiety, following a healthy nightly routine, and seeking medical advice for hormone replacement therapy may also help improve sleep.
A "surprising discovery" about the most dangerous forms of skin cancer!
Worldwide, more people now die from non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) than from melanomas, a new study has found.
The study, conducted by researchers at Nice University Hospital in France, used patient data collected by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organization).
It showed that while skin cancer caused 57,000 deaths globally in 2020, non-melanoma skin cancer was responsible for even more, with 63,700 people losing their lives.
NMSC is considered less serious than other cancers, is rarely fatal and is often excluded from national cancer registry reports of overall cancer numbers.
Melanoma and NMSC share some features, as both are closely linked to exposure to ultraviolet radiation either from the sun or from tanning beds. UV radiation produces cancer-causing mutations that lead to the formation of both melanoma and NMSC.
However, there are some important differences between melanoma and NMSC. While UV radiation is a risk factor for both, NMSC is more associated with chronic exposure throughout a person's life. As a result, tumors often appear on the face and head.
In contrast, occasional severe sunburn is closely linked to melanoma, especially on the torso.
There are two main types of NMSC: basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Both arise from a type of skin cell called keratinocyte, which is the main type of cell that makes up the epidermis, the outer layer of skin.
Mutations in keratinocytes can bypass the internal checks and balances that normally prevent cells from dividing uncontrollably, leading to tumor formation.
In contrast, melanomas are caused by cancer-promoting mutations in a different type of skin cell called melanocyte.
Experts revealed that the current official statistic of 1.2 million cases of NMSC per year (compared to 325,000 cases of melanoma) is likely to be a gross underestimate. This is due to inconsistencies in how data on NMSC cases are collected and reported between different countries.
These data gaps mean that it is very difficult to get a complete picture of trends in the number of NMSC cases and how likely they are to cause death. Despite this gap, a particularly troubling part of this latest report is its conclusion that where you live in the world has a significant impact on how likely you are to survive an NMSC diagnosis.
However, prevention is always better than cure, and it is clear that more needs to be done to prevent these cancers from occurring in the first place.
The report is by Sarah Allinson, Professor in the Department of Biomedical and Life Sciences at Lancaster University.