2026 Volume 53 Issue 1 Pages 13-21
Social implementation research was conducted as Kanagawa Prefecture ME-BYO Project “Exploring factors from life logs and other measurements to alleviate menopausal symptoms.” This paper summarizes the results of the first year’s demonstration out of the three-year project.
The period of study intervention was January to March 2025, targeting 30 female employees in their 40s and 50s who were aware of menopausal symptoms and who worked at enterprises in Kanagawa Prefecture. They were asked to use both wearable device (smart ring) and nonwearable sleep monitoring device (sheet-shaped body vibrometer), and to continuously monitor their condition through regular diary entries and questionnaire responses. During the study period, a program was implemented online, combining counseling to alleviate menopausal symptoms and insomnia with stress management through cognitive behavioral therapy.
As results, the Athens Insomnia Scale showed a significant improvement before and after the intervention program [4.0 (2.8)→2.9 (1.8), means (standard deviation), p＜0.05). Regarding the prevalence of menopausal symptoms, shoulder stiffness improved significantly (p＜0.05). During the baseline period, the Kupperman Menopausal Index and Simplified Menopausal Index were significantly associated both with heart rate variability measured by the smart ring and with the number of respiratory event index measured by the sheet-shaped body vibrometer (both p＜0.05), but there was no significant improvement before and after the program period. However, the pre-to-post changes in the two menopausal indices were significantly associated with the Athens Insomnia Scale and the Self-Rating Questionnaire for Depression (SRQ-D) score at baseline (both p＜0.05). The pre-to-post SRQ-D changes were also significantly associated with the Athens Insomnia Scale and the sleep onset time of the sheet-shaped body vibrometer at baseline (both p＜0.05).
Although this online program was simple for approximately two hours, it was expected to reduce menopausal symptoms by improving sleep quality. We would like to continue this empirical research, including follow-up, in the future.
