In postmenopausal women, shorter sleep durations and insomnia were associated with decreased sexual function, a recent study found. Sexual function in the last year and sleep characteristics (past 4 weeks) were assessed by self-report at baseline for 93,668 women aged 50 to 79 years enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study. Cross-sectional associations between sleep measures and 2 indicators of sexual function—partnered sexual activity and sexual satisfaction within the last year—were examined. Researchers found:

• 56% of women overall reported being somewhat or very satisfied with their current sexual activity; 52% reported partnered sexual activity within the last year.
• Insomnia prevalence was 31%.
• After multivariable adjustment, higher insomnia scores were associated with lower odds of sexual satisfaction (OR, 0.92).
• Short sleep duration (≤5 hours) was associated with lower odds of partnered sexual activity (OR, 0.88) and less sexual satisfaction (OR, 0.88).