Sleeping With Menopause

With spring on the way, many older women are actually dreading the approach of warmer weather.  The reason is that they’re dealing with the symptoms of menopause.  Hot flashes can make sleeping difficult even in colder weather, but as it gets warmer, that particular symptom can be even more troublesome.  To help, we dug into the SleepBetter Sleep Solutions page and found an article with tips on sleeping with menopause.  Here are some tips from that article to help women get through the change of life as well-rested as possible:

• Hot flashes don’t just increase your body temperature. They are accompanied by a surge of adrenaline that can take time to recede enough for you to get back to sleep. After waking, give yourself a moment to relax before trying to go back to sleep. If you try to go back to sleep right away, frustration may set in and sleeping will become something that just won’t happen.

• Be prepared for when the hot flash hits. Have a light nightgown nearby and be ready to throw off the blankets.

• A cool shower may help particularly strong hot flashes subside.  This is not normally something we would recommend in the middle of the night, but it’s likely the adrenaline rush mentioned above already has you wide awake, so a cold shower won’t do anything but cool you off.

• Menopausal women often snore, even if they’ve never had that tendency before.  This could be the onset of sleep apnea, which is most commonly caused by weight gain.  This weight gain, unfortunately, is another symptom of menopause.  Check your weight and your diet and see if you can’t take off those few extra pounds you put on. It could get rid of your snoring and leave you sleeping more peacefully during the night.

Visit our Sleep Solutions page for dozens more articles with tips to help you sleep better!