Tossing and turning. A mind that just won’t shut off. Sound familiar? These symptoms are synonymous with many individual’s experience – in the middle of the night.
Insomnia and menopause. An awful combo. I know that there are countless quick-fixes and trends promising a great night’s rest in an instant. But despite the noisy marketing that beckons us to invest in that aromatherapy machine or high-tech mattress, I’m here to share that the solution is actually right at your fingertips.
Before I get into the three mistakes we can fix, let me explain why all the fuss around sleep and why our sleep hygiene is so crucial during menopause.
The fuss about sleep is warranted
Sleep is integral to our wellness, and not something that we can wait to figure out “when we have more time” or once there’s less stress in our lives—the time is now, our bodies are depending on it!
Here’s a little research that proves just how important sleep is to our quality of life. Scientists conducted a study on mice to see how long they would live without sleep. The answer? 30 days. Yes, just ONE month of disrupted sleep. Can we guess what happened?
After depriving them of sleep for 30 days, they died. The takeaway: sleep is life sustaining!
Mice aside, losing sleep is still devastating. Not getting our sleep causes increased hunger and weight gain, irritability, anxiety, and depression, Alzheimer’s Disease, heart disease, and the list of ailments continues. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, 70 million Americans have chronic sleep problems. A 2020 study found that 88 percent of Americans lose sleep due to binge-watching TV! For women, the numbers are startling too: Nearly 46 percent of women report having sleeping problems almost every night. So, we are not alone in our quest for better sleep. We are a nation of non-sleepers and it’s time to take back our zzz’s.
I know taking care of our sleep health seems difficult, especially when insomnia and menopause are lumped together. We’re already going through a slew of other menopause symptoms and daily to-do’s! There doesn’t even seem to be enough hours in the day, already. Maybe we feel the news is a constant lightning rod of anxiety. Maybe social media scrolling before bed might be how we unwind. But what if these habits and seemingly unimportant parts of our days are the key to the sleep we’re dreaming (pun intended) to achieve?
I am passionate about sleep. I am passionate about my own, my children’s, and my client’s sleep.
I remember being a new mom of two, deep in perimenopause, and wishing for a good night’s rest. I had never felt more exhausted and defeated… until I decided to find a better way.
That struggle inspired me to take control of my wellness and figure out a way to feel better so I could help others reclaim theirs. Now, with over 20 years of research, education, and dedication to finding lasting wellness solutions under my belt, I have found out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to our much needed and vital sleep, especially when you combine insomnia and menopause.
Three common mistakes that contribute to insomnia and menopause
These mistakes add up to impact our mood, our waistlines, our wellness, and our quality of life during menopause entirely. They are also some of the easiest habits to reform, or cut out of our routines–starting TODAY!
- Caffeine Overconsumption: While caffeine can give us an instant boost of energy when we need it, it also leads to a crash at the end of our days when we consume too much. Try to limit your caffeine intake to before 12PM to ensure you’re feeling restful come bedtime.
- Screen Time: Blue light, or the type of light emanating from a computer, TV, or cell phone, can have negative and inhibitory effects on sleep quality. The light from our screens tells our brains that it is still daytime, even though it’s dark outside… it also decreases our melatonin! Maybe a Netflix binge isn’t ideal for restful sleep, am I right?
- Lack of a Bedtime Routine: My number one tip to getting more sleep is building a consistent, relaxing bedtime routine. This means staying in the same vicinity as our bedroom, shutting off electronics, putting all work away, and putting ourselves in a restful, relaxed mindset. For example, I like to follow the routine of 8:45PM all electronics turned off, 9:00PM Epsom salt bath, 9:30PM read, 10:00PM bed. We can modify the routine for whatever works best for our lives, our schedules, and what makes us feel most at ease.
There is so much hope! Schedule a free introductory session to explore how you might join our community of women who have successfully mastered sleep, as well as all other areas of their wellness.
