Oprah Daily turns to SRI’s Fiona Baker to explain the sleep science behind menopause


Closing the gap in women’s health research starts with questions like these.


    Many women notice their dreams becoming more vivid, bizarre, or unsettling during perimenopause and menopause. A recent Oprah Daily article looked into why, and asked SRI’s Fiona Baker, director of our Human Sleep Research Program, to explain. Baker notes that because many women in perimenopause and menopause wake more often during the night and take longer to fall asleep, it makes sense that they are remembering more of their dreams.

    She also describes how insomnia is linked to hyperarousal across systems such as the cardiovascular and stress systems, a state that could shape both the tone of dreams and how well they are recalled.

    Read the full article on Oprah Daily.