Briefing for Dr Gemma Lewis

Circadian rhythm and menopause

Reading list ahead of the Viva Rays conversation on circadian and blue-light-filtering eyewear. Three tiers, ordered by what matters most if time is short.

Every entry verified against PubMed and Europe PMC on 15 September 2026. "Free" links open full text on PMC; the rest need journal access.

The gap to know about

There is no randomised trial of blue-light-filtering eyewear in perimenopausal or postmenopausal women. The only light-intervention trial in this population is a small 2015 Korean light-therapy study in climacteric women (Kim YA, Korean J Women Health Nurs, PMID 37684824). Any menopause-specific product claim is an extrapolation from general-population sleep data plus the hormone-clock mechanism papers below.

Tier 1: read first about 45 minutes

01

Sleep disturbance associated with the menopause

Maki PM et al. Menopause, 2024. PMID 38916279

The current consensus review from the Menopause Society. Covers vasomotor symptoms, insomnia, sleep apnoea and the circadian angle in one place.

PubMedDOI
02

Estrogens and the circadian system

Alvord VM et al. Semin Cell Dev Biol, 2022. PMID 33975754

The mechanism paper. Oestrogen receptors in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and why the clock loosens as oestradiol falls.

Free full textPubMed
03

Blue-light filtering spectacle lenses for visual performance, sleep, and macular health in adults

Singh S et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2023. PMID 37593770

The evidence ceiling for the product category. Cochrane found no clear benefit for sleep or visual performance from blue-filtering lenses in the general adult population. Read before anyone quotes a claim.

Free full textPubMed

Tier 2: if there is time

04

Evening wear of blue-blocking glasses for sleep and mood disorders: a systematic review

Hester L et al. Chronobiol Int, 2021. PMID 34030534

Narrower than Cochrane: evening-only amber lenses in insomnia and bipolar populations, where the signal is stronger. This is the argument Viva Rays will lean on.

PubMed
05

Systematic review of light exposure impact on human circadian rhythm

Tähkämö L et al. Chronobiol Int, 2019. PMID 30311830

Light timing, intensity and spectrum as the input to the clock. Underpins any morning-light or evening-dimming advice.

PubMed
06

The role of ovarian hormones in the pathophysiology of perimenopausal sleep disturbances: a systematic review

Haufe A et al. Sleep Med Rev, 2022. PMID 36356400

Separates hormone-driven from age-driven sleep change.

PubMed
07

Melatonin and the health of menopausal women: a systematic review

Treister-Goltzman Y, Peleg R. J Pineal Res, 2021. PMID 33969545

Melatonin supplementation in menopausal women. Note the limited trial quality.

PubMed

Tier 3: background and free-access alternatives

08

Sleep disturbance and perimenopause: a narrative review

Troìa L et al. J Clin Med, 2025. PMID 40094961

Free full textPubMed
09

Insomnia in postmenopausal women: how to approach and treat it?

Jeon GH. J Clin Med, 2024. PMID 38256562

Free full textPubMed
10

Circadian rhythm and menopause

Pines A. Climacteric, 2016. PMID 27585541

Short editorial-style review, the classic starting point.

PubMed
11

Modulation of circadian rhythms through estrogen receptor signaling

Hatcher KM et al. Eur J Neurosci, 2020. PMID 30270552

Deeper companion to Alvord.

PubMed
12

Does night work affect age at which menopause occurs?

Stock D, Schernhammer E. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes, 2019. PMID 31644468

Circadian disruption as a possible driver of earlier menopause.

PubMed
13

Association of morning illumination and window covering with mood and sleep among post-menopausal women

Youngstedt SD, Kripke DF. Sleep Biol Rhythms, 2004. PMID 25374475

Small observational study, but directly on light exposure in postmenopausal women.

Free full textPubMed

Sources: PubMed esearch/esummary and Europe PMC REST, 15 September 2026. One retracted trial (Zhang J, 2023, PMID 37854169) was excluded. Prepared for DoctoriumGP.