Soy Treats Insomnia In Older Women
Insomnia is a common problem in menopausal and postmenopausal women. It is estimated that about 40 per cent women suffer from sleeping problems during menopause.
Hot flashes or night sweats are largely blamed for sleeping disorders in older women. In a study, published in the journal Menopause, researchers have claimed that soy could be used for treating sleeping problems in older women.
Soy improves sleep in postmenopausal women
Menopause marks the end of the menstruation cycle. Cessation of production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone gives rise to bothersome health and emotional disorders.
Soy is often recommended for treating the irritating symptoms of menopause. It is a rich source of phytoestrogen, a type of plant compound that mimics the human estrogen.
By replenishing the estrogen reserve in the body, soy tries to treat the symptoms of menopause that develop due to reduction in natural estrogen secretion. These estrogen-like plant compounds are also known as isoflavones.
In a Universidade Federal de Sao Paolo study, a group of postmenopausal women was given 80 mg of isoflavones for four months. Through polysomnography, researchers found that isoflavones caused mild improvement in sleep in postmenopausal women.
At the beginning of the study, the average sleep efficiency of the participants in the study was 78 per cent. Sleep efficiency is the time a person spends in bed actually sleeping. At the end of the four-month study the average sleep efficiency increased to 84 per cent in women on isoflavones, whereas the average sleep efficiency of women who took a placebo was 81 per cent.
At the beginning of the study, 90 per cent women complained of moderate to severe insomnia. After taking isoflavones, only 37 per cent women continued to suffer from insomnia.
How soy improves sleep
Besides elevating the estrogen level in the body of menopausal and postmenopausal women, soy could improve the sleeping pattern in older women by supplying the body the amino acid tryptophan.
Tryptophan aids production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and melatonin, which help to relax the mind. A calm mind could fall asleep easily. Including soy products, such as soybean nuts, soymilk and tofu in the diet, insomniacs might hope to enjoy a sound sleep in the night.
