Introduction
obesity, endocrine disorder, sleep disturbances, non-PCOS, OSA, PCOS
OBESITY, ENDOCRINE DISORDER, OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA, POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME, INSULIN SENSITIVITY
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in fertile women with a prevalence of 8-13% (In addition, sleep disturbances have been reported as common among women with PCOS, and the occurrence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is higher than for controls (Studies on non-PCOS, including female only populations, have shown that short sleep duration is linked to obesity, decreased insulin sensitivity as well as increased hunger and appetite (The observations in women with PCOS indicate a need for investigating if overweight/obese women with PCOS differ from body mass index (BMI)-matched controls with respect to objective indicators of sleep efficiency and awakenings, the timing of sleep, its variability, as well as sleep duration. Moreover, since lifestyle management including exercise, diet, behavioral intervention, or a combination of those, is the first line treatment for over-weight women with PCOS, it is important to assess its impact on sleep health variables in this population (The primary objective of this study was therefore to assess objective sleep variables by actigraphy in over-weight/obese women with PCOS in comparison with BMI- and age-matched controls. In addition, to investigate the effect of behavioral modification intervention in comparison with minimal intervention on sleep variables in a randomized trial of women with PCOS, as well as to look for any correlations between sleep variables and anthropometric, endocrine and psychological well-being parameters.