Why do women stop sleeping during perimenopause and menopause?
Both perimenopause and menopause can significantly impact sleep which is really tough on the person experiencing it and on her loved ones. Compassion and understanding are key to supporting everyone involved. At SleepDrops we surveyed over 2,000 women to get a better understanding of what women are experiencing and what their main concerns are. As always, improving sleep did help them feel they could cope better.
Here are the top five reasons women in peri/menopause often experience sleep disturbances:
Hormonal fluctuations
- Estrogen and progesterone levels: Estrogen helps regulate the sleep cycle. Progesterone has a calming effect that promotes sleep. Declining levels can dramatically disrupt sleep architecture within each sleep cycle.
- Night sweats and hot flashes: Sudden feelings of intense heat can wake women up multiple times during the night. They can be dramatic and force changes to sleepwear and bed sheets, disrupting their sleep and that of their partner. Guilt, frustration, anxiety and irritability are common.
Mood/behaviour changes
- Anxiety and depression: Hormonal changes and lack of sleep can lead to mood swings, anxiety and depression.
- Stress: Lack of sleep exacerbating hormonal changes is stressful.
- Irrational anger: Self-reproach, self-victimisation, defensive and aggressive behaviour are extremely common. Patience and love are required.
Physical discomfort
- Joint and muscle pain: May make activities, comfort and sleep difficult to achieve.
- Breast tenderness: Can lead to difficulty with movement and sleep.
Bladder issues
- Frequent urination: Hormonal changes can affect bladder control and lead to more trips to the bathroom.
- Urinary tract infections: Increased risk of infection and disrupted sleep.
Sleep disorders
- Insomnia: Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early and not being able to go back to sleep is common.
- Sleep apnoea: The risk of developing sleep apnoea increases especially with weight gain, leading to fragmented sleep. - Changes to sleep architecture can occur as follows:
1. Decreased slow wave sleep (SWS): Reduced deep restorative sleep leads to feeling less rested.
2. Reduced rapid eye movement (REM) sleep: Results in less emotional processing of life.
3. Increased wakefulness: Night sweats, hot flashes, discomforts and hormonal changes disrupt sleep.
4. Increased light sleep: Significantly less restorative than deeper stages of sleep.
Develop a holistic hormone and sleep support strategy that simultaneously addresses ALL aspects of physical and emotional wellbeing over a period of months, trying different doses, timing and formulations until you achieve success.
Daytime strategy to balance moods, hold it together and protect the body from the lack of sleep impacting cellular functions.
Product to support: SleepDrops Daytime Revive
Changing hormones. To decrease the rapid changes select a product from your local pharmacy that contains Chaste tree, B6, zinc and other supporting herbs such as Black cohosh (unless cancer is present).
Specific forms of magnesium have been shown to support menopause experiences including anxiety, mood changes, insomnia, hot flashes and night sweats.
Products to support: SleepDrops Magnesium liquid, Magnesium 10 or Healthy Sleep capsules, which also have a high dose of vitamin C to support phase two liver detoxification/clearance of estrogen via the liver.
Hot flashes and night sweats during sleep.
Product to support: SleepDrops Menopauzzz
Sleep support. One can have insomnia and menopause at the same time. Worrying and not being able to turn off your busy mind may keep you awake.
Product to support: SleepDrops for Adults
Aches and pains impact your level of comfort during sleep time.
Product to support: Ultra Inflameze
Improvements in sleep can significantly support overall happiness, daytime functioning and quality of life. SleepDrops, New Zealand’s number one selling sleep support supplements for 15 years, offers truly expert sleep support products which can be combined to create a programme to perfectly suit your needs. Reach out to us today at support@sleepdrops.co.nz
