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I haven’t had a good night’s sleep
in 3 months and I feel terrible....
I fall asleep at my usual time 11 PM, but then I’m awake at 2 AM for no
reason. The trouble is, I can’t fall back to sleep. I’m awake for hours. So, I
pay some bills, watch television, read a mystery. I feel fully awake, as if I have had a
couple cups of coffee. My doctor has offered me sleeping pills, but I don’t want to
take them.
What causes this,
and what can I do to get a good night’s sleep?
Sleeping disturbances
are extraordinarily common during perimenopause.
Studies have shown that women over the age of forty have more sleep troubles than
their younger counterparts. Look at the television commercial for sleeping aides. They are
geared towards women who are thirty five years old and beyond. There is a reason for this.
Hormone fluctuations
during perimenopause can cause sleep problems. These problems can range from
waking in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back to sleep, or getting up
too early, or having tremendous difficulties falling asleep in the first place.
Perimenopausal and menopausal women have reported disturbing dreams and nightmares that
wake them up. The most frequent sleep complaint involves falling asleep regularly and then
awaking in the middle of the night without being able to get back to sleep.
Waking during the middle of the night
can be related to our hormone balance. Low estrogen levels can trigger sudden hot
flashes while sleeping. These women wake up hot, wet with perspiration, perhaps with a
pounding heart and labored breathing. Perimenopause can bring a change in how often we
need to urinate. This causes some women to wake up a few times a night just to go to the
bathroom. Other gals may find themselves up for no apparent reason.
What can you do to get some sleep?
There are many ways you can help yourself get a better night’s sleep. It
might be a good idea to keep a journal which includes the day you are in your cycle ( day
one being the first day of your period), what you ate, stress level, and how you felt.
Knowing where you are in your cycle and what may work to trigger poor sleep can help you
make a plan. For example, ovulation can be a prickly time for good sleep.
Here’s some of the things
you can do for a good night’s sleep:
- High calcium snack
at bedtime or take the largest part of your daily calcium supplement at bedtime.
Calcium has been noted to promote sleep by calming the nervous system.
- High carbohydrate snack at bedtime
bagel, muffin, toast, a bowl of low fat, no sugar cereal. Avoid large meals
before bedtime Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea non-caffeine herbal tea.
- Avoid alcohol at bedtime
even though it may make you feel drowsy it won’t give you a restful
night’s sleep. Hot/warm bath two hours or so before going to bed.
- Meditation and Relaxation exercises
 before going to bed. The relaxation techniques in Davis’
book, "The
Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook", can help you return to sleep
if awakened in the middle of the night.
- Lavender oil on the pillow
has been found to promote sleep for some women. Exercise helps sleep but
shouldn’t be done any later than two hours before hitting the sack.
- Eliminate caffeinated beverages after 12 noon
it takes caffeine between 6-8 hours to be cleared from our bodies. The same rule
for caffeinated beverages applies to our beloved chocolate. As we age we become more
sensitive to stimulants and can include the amount of caffeine in only one serving of
chocolate.
- Limit liquid intake before bedtime
if you are getting up to urinate during the night you may want to think about
having your last beverage at dinner time.
- Get rid of the clock
this has helped many women. Place your clock under your bed or anywhere you
can’t see it. By looking at the time you will become increasingly anxious about how
you’re not sleeping and this will keep you up even later. The alarm will still go off
in the morning if you leave the clock out of your sight.
- It’s important to keep your bed for sleeping
and sex.
Don’t read or watch television in bed. Your mind will acquaint the bed with
sleeping and this will help you get to sleep faster.
If you awaken in the middle of the night
do something calming and somewhat boring- listen to classical music, read the
dictionary- the goal is to not become further stimulated. Hormone Replacement Therapy-
this can even out the hormonal highs and lows and provide for better sleep. It will
decrease the hot flashes and help your urinary tract- keeping you asleep if your problems
are flashes and/or going to the bathroom during the night.
  Homeopathic remedies like Valerian Root as mentioned in Linda
Ojeda’s book, Menopause Without Medicine
has been an effective tool for some women. As is true with any treatment, homeopathic or
prescribed, always check with your doctor FIRST before taking anything.
Be sure the medicines or other treatments you are taking are not interacting causing side
effects like sleeplessness.
Eight tips to get a good night’s sleep
Joint aches and pains can do a real number on both the quality and quantity
of sleep. You probably feel like you went ten rounds with the champ after a night's
"sleep" . Find out a few tips to better sleep.
Meet the Author
"Menopause Made Easy"
by Dr.
Carolle Jean-Marat, MD
hosted by Sue Spataro
 Interview & FREE Excerpt
  Today's woman must
educate herself about menopause and the risks and rewards of taking HRT, nutritional
supplements, and homeopathic therapies. With humor, candor, and plain non-technical
language, Dr. Jean-Murat discusses the current needs and concerns of midlife women,
empowering us to make the right decisions. In our interview, she discusses Selecting over the counter
products, Black
Cohosh, and Racial
Differences & Menopause and also features a FREE excerpt from her book, Stress and Depression.
If you have any questions, you can ask them on our HotFlash support group. |
Interview with author
Linda Ojeda
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