Saturday 14 December 2013

Why Menopause Leads to Insomnia?

Menopause and Insomnia

Menopause is a physical condition where women have no menstrual cycle for 12 full months.  During menopause, hot flashes, night sweats and anxiety will wake you in the night and disrupt sleep. One of the most common complaints is the occurrence of hot flashes which can cause endless nights of interrupted sleep. Before reaching the stage of menopause, women normally suffer sleep disturbances because of aging.  Insomnia during menopause can be caused by various discomforts such as decline of hormone level, depression, anxiety etc. Hormonal fluctuations can change your emotional and physical state and disrupt sleep enough that they can produce insomnia symptoms. 

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Insomnia at this stage can be treated along with the treatment to reduce the discomforts of menopause and also by changing your sleeping habits.  In this stage women may develop insomnia because they are suffering from serious sleep disorders. Statistics prove that during menopause women develops sleep disorders, including restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea, than at any other time in their lives. Aging, different medicines using for other diseases, change in social situations, anxiety and depression can be the additional reasons for this insomnia.
Natural sleep cycles run according to a delicate and complex balance of ingredients of your body. Your body and mind are actually quite active during normal sleep cycles. When the female body begins to experience ups and downs in levels of progesterone and estrogen the entire body’s chemistry will be changed. Physical responses occur that not only disrupt your daily life, but they disrupt sleep and can become chronic.


Causes of Insomnia during Menopause


A number of factors combined in menopause to disturb your sleep. Hormone levels, health issues, lifestyle, and situational tensions all play a role in this. After the age of 40 or 45, you may have trouble getting or staying asleep because of the following reasons:
  • Declining hormone levels.
  • Hot flashes and night sweats.
  • Depression and anxiety.
  • Other physical problems such as breathing difficulties, thyroid problems, pain etc.
  • Excess use of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol or use of some supplements.
  • Social and family problems such as ailing parents, divorce, job worries, money problems etc.
  • Various medicines using for different physical discomforts.


Insomnia Treatment


What to do about sleepless nights depends on what is causing them. Here are some things to try if you want to improve your chances of restful sleep:
  • Reduce your intake of caffeine and chocolate; quit smoking and don’t drink alcohol. Check any supplements or diet medications to see if they have a side effect of sleep disturbance.
  • If anxiety or night sweats are waking you, treat your symptoms. Check with your medical provider and discuss what medications or supplements might be helpful for your symptoms.
  • At the time of sleep, keep your body as cool as you can without being uncomfortable, keep your bedroom dark, wear light pajamas and put the cool pack on your face and chest as soon as you notice a hot flash coming on.
  • Practice good sleep hygiene: Go to bed at a regular time, use your bed only for sleep and sex, relax before bed, don't have a television in the bedroom, and don't eat for at least two hours before bed.
  • The combination of natural light, vitamin D and exercise is very good for better sleep.
  • A short course medicine including sleep supplements, antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and sedative drugs, if it is recommended by your doctor, might get you back into a natural sleep pattern.
  • Get professional, help if needed, from a doctor or a counselor to restore your sleep cycle.

To compound the issue, the more sleep you lose secondary to menopausal symptoms, the more pronounced insomnia symptoms become. Moodiness would become more intense, extreme fatigue is common. Treat the symptoms, be more relaxed and practice good sleep hygiene for better results. Natural ways to control menopause discomforts will be more effective and less expensive.

Learn more about Ayurvedic Herbal Supplements for Menopause Problems and for Sleeping Problems.


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