Glenda de Vries

Insomnia menopause: Why you need more sleep and you\\\'re getting less.

Menopausal women may suffer from many symptoms (some experts say there are 34 in total), and insomnia is one of the most frequently experienced ones. Many of the other symptoms of menopause can be directly attributed, at least in part, to insomnia.

Insomnia menopause is one of the frequent complaints of menopausal women. Often women need more sleep in menopause in order to deal with the physical and emotional changes, but often they get less.

Insomnia menopause leads to all kinds of emotional and physical problems.

One of the main reasons women get too little sleep during menopause is because their night sweats are keeping them awake.

Insomnia menopause leads to:

• Daytime drowsiness • Fatigue • Irritability • Decreased concentration • Decreased motivation • Higher rates of error in judgment • Illness • Temporary memory problems

Your Internal Biological Clock

Everyone has a unique biological clock. We get our most restful sleep when we adhere to it. For some people they need to go to bed early and wake up early, for others they feel better when they go to bed late and wake up late. It doesn't matter how your clock is set, what does matter is that you listen to it. Ideally, we should all have seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Good Sleep Hygiene in Perimenopause

Avoid caffeine. Everyone's tolerance for this is different so you really need to find out how much and how late you can drink it.

Avoid alcohol. This may be surprising for some people. Alcohol may relax you and make you want to sleep initially, but it will wake you up later in the night because of its rebound effect.

Exercise during the day, several times a week. Try not to exercise right before going to bed because it can wake you up.

Deal with your night sweats. Keep a cold pack beside your bed and use it. Wear cotton pajamas.

Kiss the darkness. Close the blinds/curtains, turn your alarm clock, and anything else that's flashing, away from you.

Make love not war.

Do the same thing every day prior to going to bed so your body knows subconsciously that it's time for shut-eye. Wash your face and brush your teeth earlier so that you don't awaken yourself with these routines. Besides, brushing your teeth early will also discourage you from having a fattening bedtime snack which only adds to the midlife bulge.

Write your anxieties down. Keep a journal beside your bed and write down all those ruminating and irritating thoughts that might keep you awake.

Conclusion

Use the techniques that work for you; you may need to experiment a little.

Article Tags: Need More Sleep, Need More, More Sleep

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