Menopausal Sleep
Problems
- Tips to Help You
Sleep
By Christine Hasinger, LAc, RN
Hot Flashes & Night
Sweats Keeping You Up At Night?
Women will often experience hot flashes
and night sweats
during menopause.
Frequently, these symptoms will interfere
with a decent
nights sleep, often for months on end.
The hormone fluctuations of menopause and
perimenopause are a common
cause of sleep problems and insomnia.
An estimated 75% of menopausal women
suffer from hot
flashes. The
hot flashes can be mild
to severe. Sometimes
the hot flashes
can be so severe, you feel as if you are burning up.
This is called “steaming
bones” in Chinese Medicine.
Night sweats follow the hot flashes. Again these sweats can be
mild to
severe. I’ve
heard of women complaining
that their nightclothes are soaked or the bed linens are drenched in
sweat. Many have to
get up and change
their nightgown or sheets in the middle of the night, and then have
difficulty
getting back to sleep.
Once a sweat passes, your body gets
chilled and that’s what
tends to wake most women up.
I frequently hear my patients complaining
of insomnia
without realizing that their hot flashes and night sweats are a major
contributing factor in their poor sleep.
The hot flashes and night sweats can start
years before the
onset of menopause and generally are the first symptoms of your body
changing. These can
occur during the
day as well.
Perimenopause are the years leading up to
the cessation of
the menses. Technically,
menopause is
said to have occurred when you have gone an entire year without a
menstrual
cycle. Usually this is in your fifties.
You can also have induced menopause from
surgical removal of
your ovaries or from severe trauma.
Here the onset tends to be sudden and more severe.
Following are some things you can do to
help cope with and
reduce your hot flashes and night sweats.:
- Sleep in
layers. Use thin blankets or towels underneath you, so you
can toss them
on the floor, as they get damp or wet.
Dress in layers that are easily removed as needed. And use
several layers of sheets and
blankets on top so you can easily push them off or pull them back on as
needed.
- Have a ceiling fan with a remote
installed. You’ll
be able to control
the fan without getting out of bed.
I
can’t tell you how many women have told me that this is a
lifesaver.
- During the day, dress in layers so you
can
peel them off as needed without soaking your clothes.
Keep a change of clothes at work or in the car
for those really
tough days.
- If you are
able, get some exercise every
day. Exercise is a
great for your body
at any time of your life. It
will help
you sleep and help control some of the menopausal symptoms.
- Eliminate hot and spicy foods from
your diet
during this time. Many
spices are very
warming and contribute to the hot flashes and sweats.
Some examples are hot peppers, cinnamon,
ginger, nutmeg, and
cloves.
- Pay attention to how much caffeine
you’re
drinking. Caffeine
may be contributing
to you being awake more than you need to be at night.
You may need to reduce your intake to just
morning or eliminate
it entirely.
Fortunately menopause is a temporary
condition. The
symptoms generally last from five to ten
years. If you are
really bothered by
your hot flashes and night sweats, seek some professional help. Your gynecologist will
offer you HRT –
hormone replacement therapy.
If
you
want a more natural and long lasting approach, look into acupuncture
treatments
and natural herbal formulas. Your acupuncturist will choose a
suitable herbal formula for your particular problems.
About the author
-
Christine
Hasinger, LAc, RN is an acupuncturist in Palm Harbor, Florida.
She
runs the Blue
Orchid Healing Center where many
people with menopause, insomnia and sleeping problems receive help to
start
sleeping
better, wake up feeling rested in the morning and decrease their hot
flashes and night sweats. Find out more at Sleep-tonite.com
for self help with sleep problems.
