Sleeping in the menopause is a challenge that a lot of women face. Indeed, the change of life as our grandmothers used to call it, can bring with it many uncomfortable changes. The menopause is a time of massive hormonal change that causes disruptions to a woman’s physical and mental health. This is caused by the decrease in production of estrogen and prosterone. Unfortunately, sleep disturbance is one of the most common problems that women face. What’s more a lack of sleep can have further repercussions. For example, depression and anxiety can worsen. The good news is that there are things that you can put in place to make sleeping in the menopause easier. Here, at Beds on Legs, we’ve compiled a list of helpful tips to make sleeping in the menopause a little easier.
Try To Keep Cool
Unfortunately most women who go through the menopause will experience hot flushes. These hot flushes can happen anytime. They usually start around the face and then spread to the chest. Quite often sweating can accompany these hot flushes. Indeed a hot flush often causes awakening whilst sleeping. This is one of the biggest factors that can affect sleeping in the menopause. Evidently certain things such as eating spicy foods can be triggers for hot flushes. Some of the things that you can do to make sleeping in the menopause easier are as follows:-
Without a doubt stress wreaks havoc on most people’s sleep routine. Most people can recall a sleepless night fight be the bed covers. However, keeping stress to a minimum is doubly importance when going through the menopause. We know that sometimes it is easier said than done. However there are various things that you can do minimise the impact of stress. These are as follows:-
Try to exercise daily
Get walking
Meet up with friends
Share responsibilities
Learn to meditate
Don’t be afraid to say no.
Consider Medication
We are lucky to be in a time when there are treatments to help ease the symptoms of the menopause. The mainstream medication that is used in the menopause is HRT. In other words, hormone replacement therapy. Whilst HRT has varying degrees of success, some women find enormous relief from this medication. However, in recent times, there have been concerns in the use of HRT. This is because of links to breast cancer and dementia.
If you’re not a suitable candidate for HRT there are other things that you can do to help ease the menopause. If you are struggling with mental health then you might be prescribes antidepressants. Furthermore the medication clonodine can be prescribed for hot flushes and doesn’t carry an increased risk of breast cancer. There is some evidence that natural remedies like st John’s wort can help. For more information on sleeping well with the menopause and the menopause in general you can visit the NHS website here.
