Comorbidities, Reduced Quality of Life and Impaired Sleep Quality in Overweight and Obese Post-menopausal Women with Type 2 Diabetes from South India

Aims: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM), along with menopausal status, can cause depression and anxiety and may also reduce their quality of life (QoL). The aim was to compare the comorbidities, diabetic complications, sleep quality and QoL in overweight and obese pre- versus post-menopausal women with T2DM. Methods: 388 women were screened between January and October 2023 and divided into groups: G1: pre-menopause, G2: post-menopause. Socio-demographic, clinical, menstruation details, comorbidities and complications were recorded. Their sleeping pattern, anxiety and depression and QoL were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Global Anxiety and Depression scales and WHOQoL, respectively. Results: 68.3% of women were in post-menopausal status during the screening. Impaired sleep quality score was highly prevalent in G2 (56.1% vs. 32%, P = .001). Anxiety and depression scores were higher in G2 (39.6% vs. 25.2%, P = .006). The multivariable linear regression model revealed that sleep parameters such as subjective sleep quality score ( β = 0.59, P = .001), sleep latency ( β = 0.41, P = .03), use of sleep medications ( β = 0.27, P = .012) and QoL domains including physical health ( β = −3.65 P = .001), psychological health ( β = −3.15, P = .001), social habit ( β = −1.29, P = .004), environmental health ( β = −3.88, P = .001) and higher anxiety ( β = 1.05, P = .02) and depression scores ( β = 1.04, P = .01) were significantly associated with post-menopausal women living with T2DM. Conclusions: The burden of comorbidities, complications of diabetes like diabetic neuropathy, impaired sleep quality and overall poor QoL was observed among overweight and obese post-menopausal women with T2DM. Future studies are warranted to understand the comprehensive inter-relationship between post-menopausal status, sleep health and psychological factors among women with diabetes.