Vitamin E Effective as an Alternative Treatment for Chronic Insomnia in Postmenopausal Women

by | Apr 10, 2023 | 2023, Menopause, Newsletter, Sleep, Vitamin E, Women's Health

Written by Taylor Woosley, Staff Writer. One month supplementation of 400 units of mixed tocopherol daily resulted in significantly improved PSQI scores in the vitamin E group compared with placebo (p < 0.001). 

vitamin ESleep disorders in postmenopausal women are incredibly prevalent and effect between 35-60% of this population and usually presents with increased complaints of insomnia and poor sleep quality1. Menopause itself – via hormonal changes and related symptoms – disrupts sleep and increases risk for insomnia disorder2. These sleep problems often persist with age and has been associated with earlier and/or more severe decline in physical function3.

Reducing estrogen levels due to menopause activates oxidative and inflammatory processes, which causes symptoms of menopause, anxiety, and sexual dysfunction4. Vitamin E is a lipid-soluble substance that’s components are phytoestrogens that exhibit a strong antioxidant effect5. Furthermore, vitamin E can effectively reverse the adverse influence by oxidative stress brought to the reproductive system and endocrine system6.

Thongchumnum et al. conducted a prospective, double-blinded randomized controlled trial to analyze the potential of vitamin E to treat chronic insomnia as an alternative to drugs with harmful side effects. Study inclusion consisted of being a postmenopausal woman who has had amenorrhea for a consecutive 12 months or who have undergone previous bilateral oophorectomy, who presented with chronic insomnia disorder, and who had a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score >5. A total of 160 postmenopausal women were included in the study and were randomly assigned to either the vitamin E intervention group or placebo. Subjects (n=80) in the intervention group consumed one tablet daily for one month of a mixed tocopherol (400 units per tablet) containing 20% delta-tocopherol, 1% beta-tocopherol, 62% gamma-tocopherol, and 10% alpha-tocopherol. Participants (n=80) in the placebo group received identical placebo capsules once daily for one month.

The primary outcome of the study was to evaluate the improvement in PSQI scores after one month of intervention. Secondary outcomes included the percentage of participants using sedative drugs. Participants’ baseline characteristics were obtained at time of enrollment, including age, body mass index (BMI), age at menopause, years since menopause, type of menopause, marital status, number of children, education level, socioeconomic status, underlying disease, history of sedative drug usage, and caffeine consumption. Normal distribution was tested for continuous variables with the Shapiro-Wilk normality test. Student t-test was utilized to compare the continuous variables in parametric data.

Baseline characteristics between the two groups showed no statistical difference, but there was a higher rate of sedative drug use in the vitamin E group compared to placebo which was also not statistically significant. Pre-intervention PSQI scores of the two groups were marginally different 11 (6, 20) in the placebo group and 13 (6, 20) in the vitamin E group (p = 0.019). Significant findings of the study are as follows:

  • After the intervention, participants in the vitamin E group had significantly better sleep quality compared to the placebo group, with a score of 6 (1, 18) vs. 9 (1, 19) (p = 0.012).
  • The improvement of sleep quality was significantly greater in the vitamin E group compared with the placebo 5 (-6, 14) vs. 1 (-5, 13); (p = 0.001).
  • The prevalence of sedative drug use in the vitamin E group decreased from 30% to 15% (p = 0.004). There was no statistically significant reduction in the placebo group.

Results of the study indicate that one-month supplementation with vitamin E can improve sleep quality and reduce the use of sedative drugs. Study limitations include not evaluating serum vitamin E or oxidative stress markers before and after intervention and the fact that baseline PSQI scores in the vitamin E group were higher than the placebo group. Further research should focus on longer study durations and the measurement of various biomarkers related to oxidative stress and vitamin E levels.

Source: Thongchumnum, Wirun, Sakda Arj-Ong Vallibhakara, Areepan Sophonsritsuk, and Orawin Vallibhakara. “Effect of Vitamin E Supplementation on Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Postmenopausal Women: A Prospective, Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.” Nutrients 15, no. 5 (2023): 1187.

© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Posted April 10, 2023.

Taylor Woosley studied biology at Purdue University before becoming a 2016 graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a major in Writing. She currently resides in Glen Ellyn, IL.

References:

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  6. Chen J, Guo Q, Pei YH, et al. Effect of a short-term vitamin E supplementation on oxidative stress in infertile PCOS women under ovulation induction: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Womens Health. Apr 6 2020;20(1):69. doi:10.1186/s12905-020-00930-w