Through a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital discovered that the insomnia drug suvorexant developed by Merck & Co. was safe and effective, improving insomnia and night sweats in peri- and postmenopausal women.
A EurelAlert! report said that hot flashes, night sweats, and insomnia are associated with distress and reduced quality of life. Despite how common insomnia disorder is linked to night, sweat is a limited treatment choice.
According to Shadab Rahman, Ph.D., MPH, from the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders and Mary Horrigan Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology, their research shows that there is a well-tolerated therapy that's presently available to treat chronic insomnia in both peri- and postmenopausal women that may reduce nice sweat, as well.
Rahman explained their findings are promising in the population studied. Three is a strong biological explanation for why improvements may be seen in reporting insomnia and night sweats.
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Treatment Options for Insomnia
Present options for treatment for insomnia comprise CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy and medications like nonbenzodiazepine GABA-A receptor modulators which include commonly prescribed "Z drugs" like zolpidem/Ambien.
Additionally, hormone therapy may improve sleep in midlife women who have insomnia associated with night sweats.
However, each treatment has its disadvantages, including limited access and obedience to CBT recommendations and apprehensions about side effects of sedative drugs and hormone treatment. Researchers of the study published in the Sleep journal designed their work to test suvorexant due to its potential mechanism of action.
How Suvorexant Drug Works
The drug is blocking the receptors for a neuropeptide called orexin which is involved in arousal and wakefulness and may also contribute to the occurrence of hot flashes.
Previous research found that orexin levels are three times higher in women in their postmenopausal stage compared to women in their premenopausal.
The researchers performed a four-week trial in which 60 female individuals with ages ranging from 40 to 65 years were randomized to be given either a placebo or suvorexant, which is described on the MedlinePlus site.
Participants were evaluated at in-person visits for the severity of insomnia and kept a diary recording their night sweats and hot flashes.
The Severity of Insomnia Symptoms Scored
The severity of insomnia symptoms was scored with the use of the ISI or Insomnia Severity Index. The drop in such severity of insomnia symptoms upon conclusion of the four-week trial, compared to baseline, was greater in the group given suvorexant compared to the group given a placebo. The team found a substantial, meaningful difference.
Furthermore, the number of night sweats dropped substantially for the suvorexant group compared to the control group.
The number of night sweats also decreased significantly for the suvorexant group compared to the control group. Daytime hot flashes and other related symptoms did not differ between the groups.
In their research, the study investigators noted that their sample size for this work was small, restricting their ability to identify changes in other secondary sleep outcomes following adjustment for multiple tests.
Rahman hopes they'd be able to verify such findings in the future by carrying out a study in a larger population and if seeing improvements in the severity of insomnia and night sweats results in improvements in health conditions for women that are closely associated, like cardiovascular disease and metabolism.
Related information about sleep and menopause is shown on Mayo Clinic's YouTube video below:
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