Sleep disorders in menopause are a problem for many women. Here you can find out why the symptoms occur and what can help.
Good morning! Rested? No – not again? In certain phases of life, sleep disorders appear increasing. For example, when women come to menopause. Count in this time of hormonal fluctuations Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep as well as waking up far too early To the most common complaints. What is happening in the body? And how can we counteract this? You can find out this and everything about sleep disorders in menopause here.
Why are sleep disorders piling up during menopause?
In the general population, around 24 to 26 percent complain of a disturbed night’s sleep. The number is significantly higher for women in perimenopause and postmenopause: 39 to 47 percent and 35 to 60 percent. That means it suffers About every second woman During the menopause under sleep disorders. You then have to deal with extreme fatigue during the day and of course your physical and mental performance also suffers.
The cause of the symptoms is primarily that hormonal change of the body that occurs during menopause (or the climacteric). Because of this, messenger substances are affected that, among other things, control the sleep phases in the brain:
- progesterone
- estrogen
- Melatonin
In the middle age, the function of the ovaries in women decreases more and more. This sometimes results in severe hormonal fluctuations and changes. The first change in the hormone balance affects the sex hormone progesterone. The value drops in the early phase, the premenopause. progesterone Soothes and relaxed nerves and psyche, which generally has a sleep -promoting effect. If it is missing, the sleep quality also suffers.
The other important female sex hormone, estrogen, has a mood-enhancing effect. During the course of menopause, especially in the perimenopause shortly before and after the last menstrual period, when eggs no longer mature in the ovaries, the production of sex hormones also decreases estrogen strongly. This leads to the duration of the deep sleep phase being shortened. Many women then wake up around three or four in the morning, partly sweaty, and find it difficult or not at all back to sleep.
In addition, a lack of estrogen also the production of Melatonin restricted. The sleep hormone melatonin regulates the sleep-wake rhythm, which can be disrupted when melatonin levels decrease. Melatonin production decreases in old age anyway, the hormonal component increases this development.
Accordingly, women with sleep disorders start the new day tired and exhausted. The good news: it doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. About a third of women in menopause continue to sleep well and hardly feel any other complaints.
Difficulty falling asleep, on the other hand, does not seem to have any hormonal reasons. Other reasons come into play here, for example Worries, problems or fears. They can also occur in this phase of life and then run around in the head as thought spirals and prevent you from falling asleep.
In addition to increased insertion and sleep disorders, the cases of sleep apnea, i.e. snoring with breathing interfers during sleep of at least ten seconds or longer, increase significantly in women in the climacteric. This leads to a restricted supply of oxygen, the breathing center in the brain then raises the alarm and always briefly wakes up the affected person. Less the sex hormones play a role here, but these kind of health complaints simply occur more often with age, such as the restless legs syndrome.
What are the other signs of menopause – and what do they have to do with my sleep?
There are several typical menopause complaints that can also disturb the sleep rhythm. These include:
- Hot flashes: In addition to sleep disorders, hot flashes in menopause are one of the typical and first symptoms of menopause. They are related to the sloping estrogen level. The heat pockets can still worsen the sleep problems, because there are often real sweats, especially at night. This Night sweats inevitably leads to women getting up at night and having to change their sweaty sleeping clothes and/or damp bed linen, for example. This not only reduces the general sleeping time, but physical activity in the middle of the night does not make it easier to sleep.
- Ponder: Even many women who previously did not know this about themselves become brooding as a symptom of menopausal symptoms. After all, the body changes significantly during this time and anyone who struggles with unpleasant symptoms such as hot flashes, constant mood swings and even depressive moods finds it difficult to stop thinking about them at night. As if that would not be enough, the brooding also reflects on the quality of sleep.
- Bladder weakness/incontinence: As a result of falling estrogen levels, some women develop bladder weakness or even urinary incontinence during and after menopause. For safety, you get up at night with the easiest bladder pressure to go to the toilet – several times.
- Obesity/digestive problems: If ovulation no longer has to be prepared in the ovaries and the cycle falls asleep, the body uses less energy overall. The basic metabolism is reduced by up to 300-400 kilocalories-a day. So if you eat exactly the same diet as you did before menopause, you will inevitably gain weight. Even women who have never had weight problems. In addition, the metabolic activity decreases due to age, which slows down the digestion. Both are not exactly sleeping. Read here why exactly weight gain in menopause and how to lose weight in menopause works better.
What are the consequences of poor sleep during menopause?
Good sleep is important at any age. Do sleep disorders occur in women in menopause, this can lead to the following direct complaints:
If the insomnia remains even permanent, this increases this Risk for cardiovascular problemssuch as high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias up to the heart attack, or the origin of diabetes. You can read what it means to be sugar ill.
What helps against sleep disorders in menopause?
There are different methods, which can help you get sleep disorders during menopause under control. These include:
1. General tips against sleep disorders in menopause
The following simple tips can already help with slight sleep disorders – and also have a preventive effect:
- Regularly during the day Sports do it (but don’t exhaust yourself in the evening).
- Plenty daylight refuel.
- In the evening in the diet light meals Set that should be taken at the latest three hours before going to bed. Then the digestive tract will finish its work in time and will not prevent you from falling asleep.
- Drinks containing caffeine from the afternoon or early evening avoidif possible not smoke late.
- To a good one Sleep hygiene Pay attention: For an ideal sleeping environment, the room with about 18 degrees should be pleasantly tempered, 2. as calm and darkened as possible and 3. the duvet is neither too thick nor too thin.
- Sleep habits retained. Keep your usual day/night rhythm, it is best to go to bed at about the same time. If you’re tired at lunchtime, take a short power nap.
- A Sleep ritual Establish yourself, so perhaps apply a rich cream to your hands, massage your feet with lavender oil or briefly note down three beautiful things that happen to you during the day. Read a few more lines, but instead of exciting crime novels and thrillers prefer light, carefree entertainment literature.
- Avoid stress and anger. Also ask friendships that do not (more) good and surround yourself (more) with people with whom you feel comfortable.
- Learn sleep -promoting relaxation techniques, for example autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation, breathing exercises or meditation. Do you want to learn meditation? Find out how to do it here!
2. Herbal remedies for mild sleep disorders
In consultation with your doctor, you can also try herbal preparations to alleviate the symptoms. Proven medicinal plants are, for example:
- hop
- valerian
- lavender
- Melissa
- Passionflower
The following applies: Vegetable means should also not be used for a long time against sleep disorders. In the long term, it is important to identify the cause of the sleep disorders and treat them accordingly.
You can also combat typical symptoms during menopause Active ingredients from the following plants help and thus improve the quality of sleep:
- Monk pepperfor example, works for menstrual complaints such as sweating and hot flashes
- Black cohoshrelieves in hot flashes and acts against depressive mood
- Siberian rhubarb, Reduces hot flashes and night sweat
- Johannis herbsa vegetable antidepressant
Corresponding preparations should only be used in close medical consultation and the package insert should always be studied carefully!
3. Hormones
Hormone replacement therapy is another way to contain classic symptoms such as sleep disorders if they are caused by menopause. The hormone estrogen, the production of which decreases during menopause, is fed – for example, taken in tablet form or applied locally as gel.
Often a Combination of estrogen and a progestogen (progesterone) recommended. This has been shown to improve vasomotor complaints, such as hot flashes and sweats, so that you no longer wake up as often. Oral progesterone also looks sedative.
But the following also applies here: Whether hormones come into question in the event of severe symptoms should be with your: m gynecolog: in clarify, because clarify Hormone replacement therapy is not without risks And not suitable for some women (breast cancer patients).
Caution: Sleeping pills are a pure emergency solution for exceptional cases! Because they rather anesthetize you to help them get a healthy, relaxing sleep. In addition, nothing changes in the cause of your symptoms. Some preparations still have a bit of effect during the day (hangover effect), so that no healthy, natural sleep rhythm can adjust. Another disadvantage: Chemical-synthetic sleeping pills usually lose effect after a while. To further increase the dose, can be in a Drug dependency with significant Withdrawal symptoms lead.
Reading tips: Here we reveal even more tips for falling asleep. We also explain what stress management has to do with good sleep and what you should know about sleep disorders and about the deep sleep phase.
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