Background: Sleep disturbance in midlife women has been studied extensively, although less is known about sleep after menopause. This study examined the relative impact of sociodemographics, modifiable lifestyle factors, and health status on sleep disturbance in postmenopausal women from Queensland, Australia.

Methods: The longitudinal Healthy Aging of Women (HOW) Study examines health-related quality of life (HRQOL measured by the 12-item Short Form [SF-12®] survey [Medical Outcomes Trust, Hanover, CA]); chronic illness; modifiable lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, alcohol consumption, smoking; and sleep disturbance (General Sleep Disturbance Scale [GSDS] (Lee, San Francisco, CA) ≥43 represents poor sleep) in midlife and older women from low- and high-socioeconomic rural and urban areas of South East Queensland, Australia. This article presents cross-sectional data from the 322 women, aged 60–70 years, participating in the HOW study in 2011.

Results: For women in this study, sleep disturbance was relatively common, with 23% (n=83) reporting poor sleeping (GSDS ≥43). Sleep-disturbance scores were strongly correlated with being unemployed or on a disability support pension (β=18.69, p<0.01), sedentary lifestyle (β=23.84, p<0.01), and lower mental (β=−0.60, p<0.01) and physical HRQOL scores (β=−0.32, p=0.01), and these variables explained almost one-third of variance in sleep-disturbance scores (ηρ2=29%).

Conclusions: Multivariable analysis revealed that sleep disturbance was correlated with physical and mental HRQOL, disability, and sedentary lifestyle but not other lifestyle and sociodemographic characteristics. It may be, however, that modifiable lifestyle factors may indirectly impact sleep by influencing health status.