Sleep
Sleep is one of the most important things you can do to maintain optimal health. While it may seem like a luxury, getting enough sleep every night is crucial if you want to stay healthy and well rested during your menopausal transition.
Common Causes of Sleeplessness in Menopausal Women
Why is it that all of a sudden you can’t sleep? It’s like someone turned on a switch during peri-menopause that made it impossible to sleep through the night. What could be causing this shift?
- Stress
The most common causes of lack of sleep are stress, anxiety, and depression. These conditions cause you to wake up too early in the morning, which can ruin your entire day. Stress can also lead to insomnia, which means that you are not be able to fall asleep easily or possibly lie awake all night. - Restless Leg Syndrome
The common symptoms of this condition are the lingering feeling of itching, crawling or restlessness in your legs just as you’re trying to relax and fall into sleep. There is a connection between dopamine and iron levels in the brain, which is the cause. - Underlying Medical Problem
Some medical treatments cause or contribute to sleep disorders. It is important to discuss with your doctor the main side effects of your medication to provide you with a means to manage them.
Natural Remedies
Natural remedies for getting quality sleep have improved over time. Many of these suggestions have been researched to show their effectiveness.
- Avoid Caffeine
Caffeinated food and drinks take time to process through your body, sometimes up to 12 hours. Avoiding caffeine after 12pm can help your ability to fall asleep more easily and stay asleep. - Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol mainly affects blood flow. It can impact your blood circulation, which also consequently affects your sleep. The inability to sleep is often a signal to a brain that something in our body is not right. Even if you can fall asleep after a few glasses of wine, the sleep tends to be lower quality and not as deep. Some of my patients find they even snore on nights when they drink alcohol. - Avoid Afternoon Naps
While occasional afternoon naps are fine, regular afternoon napping may disrupt your biological clock. If you tend to nap daily more than 20 minutes then you are most likely experiencing sleep deprivation. Go to bed earlier and get up earlier to break the cycle of needing a nap.
- NO Device Usage Before Bed
Aside from the artificial light from your device that affects your biological clock, the contents you usually visit are designed to numb your brain by providing constant supply of dopamine or what we commonly known as the happy chemicals. The thing with dopamine is that we must reset our balance after end of the day. Using a device before sleeping is known to have an effect to the mind that keeps you from getting quality sleep. - Follow a Bedtime Schedule
Your body can be programmed by practicing healthy daily habits. By following a bedtime schedule, your mind and body will agree to rest at a particular period. - Avoid Heavy Meals Before Sleep
Food creates energy for the body. Eating heavy meals before sleeping is like giving your body an assignment to process that energy while your mind is already on sleep mode. This brings a sort of confusion to your system, which eventually leads to feeling sleepy yet unable to sleep.
- Block Sources of Light
Your biological clock is synched with the sun. Modern life provides the convenience of light at any time day or night, but this can affect sleep patterns as your body responds to the sunset. When there is light in your bedroom, your body will not release melatonin, which is the sleep hormone. Do your best to block out any outside sources of light as well as all those little annoying red lights from electronic devices.
- Exercise
Exercise is beneficial and necessary for a healthy body but it can also help you sleep better. Research shows that physical exercise increases the quality sleep. Exercise rebalances your endorphin (happy hormone) levels. Don’t exercise right before bed as it can over-stimulate you and make it harder to get to sleep. Shoot for moving your body at least 20-30 minutes daily. You can even spread it out to 2 times for 10 minutes. Now, who doesn’t have 10 minutes? - Keep Your Room Cool and Well Ventilated
Keeping your room well ventilated enriches the oxygen in your blood. Your heart will work more efficiently to oxygenate your blood. Cooler temperatures help you sleep more soundly. A well-ventilated room also allows you to release your body heat naturally without having to sweat as much to regulate your body temperature.
- Wear Loose Clothing
Similar to the effect of a well-ventilated room, wearing loose PJs allows your blood to flow unrestricted. Restrictions in the blood circulation stop your body from fully relaxing and getting that deep, sound sleep you so desire.
The Take Home
You can do a lot to help your body get sound, restful sleep. Lack of sleep can, not only make you grumpy, but is also a health risk. Menopause can wreak havoc on your sleep so do your best to follow the above listed tips. Make sleep a priority and do all you can to get the best sleep possible. If you’ve tried all these natural suggestions and are still struggling, then let’s chat. I’ve got a few herbal remedies and nutritional supplements that can be very effective. Be kind and gentle with yourself and remember is progress not perfection.
