Age at menarche is associated with sleep duration in postmenopausal women: A Nationally Representative Study

Background: The association between age at menarche (AAM) and sleep duration has been affirmed in some studies. The majority of the subjects, however, were teenagers. Given the prevalence of inadequate sleep duration in postmenopausal women, we undertook this study to investigate the association between AAM and sleep duration in postmenopausal women. Methods: The study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2005 to 2014. Binary logistic regression models were used to assess the association between the AAM and sleep duration, and a subgroup analysis based on age, diabetes, and hypertension was performed. Results: Compared to the group with an AAM < 10 years old, women with later AAM have a greater chance of adequate sleep (AAM between 10 and 12 years old: odds ratio (OR) = 2.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.65–4.41, P  < 0.001; AAM between 13 and 15 years old: OR = 2.77, 95%CI: 1.70–4.52, P  < 0.001; AAM ≥ 16: OR = 2.23, 95%CI: 1.29–3.85, P  = 0.004). After we have made several different multivariate-adjusted models, the above conclusions can still be derived ( P  < 0.05). In women aged 61 to 71, non-hypertensive patients, and a proportion of patients with diabetes, there is no greater likelihood that other groups will get adequate sleep duration than the reference group ( P  > 0.05). Conclusions: The effect of the AAM on sleep duration has a long-term effect. It is of great significance to avoid early AAM by actively adjusting lifestyle and other methods to prevent the shortening of sleep duration after menopause.