SLEEP IN AGEING WOMEN: Sleep disorders in menopausal and postmenopausal ageing women: prevelance, biological mechanisms, animal models, social aspects, treatment and prevention

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 00.0383

Key words (English)

Mice; estrus cycle; running-wheel activity; melatonin rhythm;
Life Sciences; Medicine; Health; Social Aspects

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: QLK6-2000-00499

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.1.6 The ageing population and disabilities

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
Universität Zürich

Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: University of Helsinki (FIN)

Abstract (English)

Disorder of sleep lead to diminished quality of life, health deterioration and predispose to accidents. Prelevence of sleep disorders increases in the course of ageing. Especially ageing women are more often afflicted by sleep disoreders than men, but the phychosocial and biomedical mechanisms that cause this disceprancy are unknown. The present project integrates basic, medical and social research to identify the factors leading to sleep disorders in agering women. The project surveys their prevalence and the extent of social, economic and medical impairment. Biological mechanisms of gender associated sleep disorders will be investigated by combining animal models and human experiments addressing sleep and circadian rhythms. We expect to define the psychosocial and biomedical factors underlying sleep disorders in ageing women. Based on this information strategies to prevent and treat sleep disorders in ageing women will be tested.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 00.0383