Sleep disorders during menopause

Note: Feel free to also to this comprehensive guide insomnia jump, holds ready the more tips.

Menopause & our sleep

There are some physical and psychological changes during menopause.

The symptoms of menopause can vary greatly from woman to woman. From constant tiredness to problems falling asleep to restless sleep .

• What generally happens: Even in the first phases of menopause, the production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone in the ovaries slowly decreases.
• Fluctuations in the hormonal balance, but also other challenges (coming to terms with getting older, stress, …) in this development phase can cause sleep disorders .

With a hot flush, for example, women experience an uncomfortable feeling of tension all over their bodies – accompanied by profuse night sweats .

These hot flashes are often the trigger for poor sleep quality during the menopause. But not only such signs, but also the hormonal balance itself change sleep habits.

How the hormones affect sleep

The reduction in estrogen levels is what causes most of the menopausal symptoms.

• But the production of progesterone and testosterone also declines during this time.
• Many women do not even know that a small amount of testosterone is part of their own hormonal balance.

• Estrogen is the primary sex hormone in women and plays a major role in regulating reproduction and the monthly menstrual cycle.
• Progesterone offsets the effects of estrogen and prepares a woman’s body for a possible pregnancy in each monthly cycle.
• Testosterone increases sexual desire and energy levels and also contributes to muscle and bone mass.

During menopause, the body has to adjust to a changed hormonal balance, which causes additional stress. This not only saps your energy, but also leads to problems sleeping through the night .

All of these hormonal changes affect the quality of sleep: the phases of sleep shift, the duration of sleep changes and where we used to be full of energy, we now need an afternoon nap .

It is not just the lowering of the hormone level that is responsible for problems, but above all fluctuations.

Common symptoms of insomnia

Women reach menopause a year after the period does not occur. The average age is between 40 and 50 years.

Hot flashes, mood swings, insomnia, and breathing-related sleep disorders are some of the most common symptoms.

In addition, there are often psychological problems such as depression and anxiety.

• In general, many women are less satisfied with the quality of their sleep after the menopause.
• Many also tend to snore more , which was not the case before.

Affected women sometimes also suffer from breathing pauses or gasp for air – this can on the one hand cause sleep disorders , on the other hand indicate serious illnesses such as sleep apnea .

Before I go into a few helpful measures for better sleep during menopause below, I would like to briefly summarize the 3 stages of menopause.

The process of menopause – 3 phases at a glance

Menopause is only part of a life-long change that primarily affects a woman’s hormone levels.

In addition to the quality of sleep, these phases often also affect health. Therefore, it makes sense to take a look at the different stages of menopause and how they affect sleep.

The better you know about the causes, the easier it will be to deal with them.

Before menopause (premenopause)

During all the years that women are of childbearing potential and not experiencing menopausal symptoms, they are in premenopause.

During this time, too, there are changes in the hormonal balance, which often leads to recurring sleep problems – e.g. during pregnancy .

Interesting: The rise or fall in estrogen and progesterone, especially shortly before and during menstruation, can also be responsible for headaches, cramps, anxiety and bad mood.

During menopause (perimenopause)

During this phase, there is a slow transition into menopause. Menopause often begins in your 40s, sometimes even in your late 30s.

• How long women are in this phase can vary widely.
• However, the perimenopause usually lasts 3 to 5 years, during which the hormonal balance changes

The first symptoms often appear during this time, and sleep disorders in particular are among the first effects.

Slowly but surely, the hormone level begins to drop – although there can always be strong fluctuations (hot flashes or twitching when falling asleep ).

After menopause (post menopause)

If a woman has not menstruated for twelve consecutive months, she has reached menopause.

From this point on she is in the postmenopause, the hormone balance “normalizes”.

• There is no production of progesterone,
• Estrogen is only produced in very small quantities.

Most of the time, the symptoms improve as the menopause passes. The hormonal balance calms down and this also leads to an improvement in the quality of sleep.

He will be happy to help you with any possible ambiguity.

What helps with sleep disorders during menopause?

Menopause is a natural process that affects all women – therefore often (from a health point of view) no special treatment is required.

• As soon as the body has adapted to the new requirements, fewer symptoms appear.
• However, if you suffer a lot from the symptoms, there are also some helpful measures that can improve.

Today there are many different approaches that can best be used to accompany menopause. You can find the most common here.

Let’s start with behavior changes that you can do yourself without a doctor:

Diet influences the hormonal balance

An alternative treatment for menopausal symptoms could come from various soy products.

• This includes, for example, tofu, soybeans or soy milk. These products contain a plant hormone similar to estrogen.
• In this way, they can help weaken hot attacks. Unfortunately, there are no consistent results here either.

In other words, trying is more important than studying. It’s best to start incorporating soy products (slowly) into your diet today.

What you should also consider: A change in diet often has a major impact on digestion. This, in turn, can cause other problems such as stomach pain.

homeopathy

Many women do not want to resort to medication to get through menopause well.

This is why homeopathy is one of the most popular alternatives to support menopause.

• For example, a treatment with various Schüssler salts or globules is possible.
• But hormone-balancing teas are also very helpful for many women’s problems (such as during menstruation).

Homeopathy works mainly via the placebo effect and therefore has few side effects. As long as you take the remedies in addition to medical check-ups, they often significantly alleviate symptoms.

Adjust lifestyle

Another way to cope better with the effects of menopause is through lifestyle.

What you should pay particular attention to:

• Eat healthy! It is always better to avoid heavy foods, especially before going to bed . Some foods are particularly spicy that they can easily cause hot flashes.
• Watch your weight! A side effect of menopause is that women put on weight more easily, which does not necessarily contribute to their own well-being.
• Avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol as much as possible !
• Put on light clothing for sleeping. Avoid heavy blankets in summer. Heat and healthy sleep do not go well together.

You can also start remodeling your bedroom. Find a suitable pillow , put on soundproof curtains or realign your bed .

Take good care of your own well-being! Avoid stress and worry as best you can. Try relaxation exercises like autogenic training before sleep .

Make sure you sleep well and treat yourself to a power nap during the day to recharge your batteries.

Hormonersatztherapie

In addition to home remedies from above, there are also professional therapies.

As certain hormones decrease during menopause, treatment with these hormones can ease symptoms.

• In particular, it concerns preparations that contain estrogen or estrogen and progesterone.
• In recent years, however, this form of therapy has had a lot of criticism:

The effects are very different, depending on whether tablets, gel, cream or syringe are used. In addition, you should only use hormone preparations in very small doses and for a short time.

Other drugs

Some doctors recommend a combination of various other dietary supplements, such as calcium or vitamin D, for menopause.

Bisphosphonates are said to help against other side effects such as osteoporosis (this leads to thinning and weakening of the bones).

Menopausal insomnia also affects men

Men also go through menopause (andropause) – even if it may look a little different from women.

In men, this transition may take a little longer, while in women, menopause is over within a few years.

The biggest change: The production of testosterone decreases during this time. During the menopause, men often have trouble concentrating, are exhausted or tired during the day .

In addition, it can also lead to a decrease in libido and erectile dysfunction. Other symptoms sometimes include sleep disorders.

What characterizes the term “midlife crisis” especially in connection with menopause: Many men suffer from a greatly reduced life satisfaction during this time.

Closing word

I hope this post has helped you better understand menopausal sleep disorders.

Create the perfect environment for a good night’s sleep. Hopefully, if you follow the path outlined, sleep problems will soon be a thing of the past.

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Thanks for reading.