Menopause and Insomnia
Women going through the menopause period at times suffer from insomnia but this can be helped greatly by taking relaxation or yoga classes or listening to self-hypnosis recordings. The menopause period is a time to share with other women who have either gone through or are experiencing menopause. There are many non-profitable organizations, which bring them together in their peri-menopause years. If there are no such organization in an area, chatting for menopausal women on Internet forums can be great fun and positive. Generally, the menopause period occurs around the age of 50 for most women. The range can vary from age 45 to 55 on average. Menopause can be characterized by the ending of the menstrual cycles and the end of the fertile years.
The menopause period is a time of diminishing levels of estrogens and progesterone released by the ovaries. This drop of hormones during the peri-menopause and menopause years bring along the symptoms that can sometimes be disturbing. Such symptoms felt during menopause are: hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings, heavy or decreased bleeding, sadness or even depression, increased fatigue or insomnia.
When a menopausal woman consults a physician, the most often heard complaint is insomnia. The ageing process minimizes the quality and duration of sleep. In a menopausal woman, the reduction of hormones and its imbalance makes it even worse. The biological and psychological changes that occur with menopause create anxiety, stress, and depression that are all prime causes of insomnia.
Hot flashes and sweats are common problems associated with menopausal woman due to hormonal imbalance. When these symptoms happen at night, especially in the early hours of the morning, it may result in chronic insomnia. A woman wakes up from sleep with hot flashes and she finds it extremely difficult to go back to sleep again until she feels normal. Having vivid dreams and getting up with a pounding heart are also a part of the problem. Sometimes, even if a woman does not wake up, she switches from a deep healing stage to one of shallow depth. It is estimated that menopausal related insomnia affects 15 to 17 % of all women.
Before blaming hormones, it is necessary to have a total medical workup to detect other underlying causes of insomnia. These include physical and mental health disorders and life style related causes also.
The only menopausal specific treatment for sleep disorder is hormone replacement therapy. Different clinical studies give conflicting conclusions. It is safe and easy to say that the jury is still out. It may be that women react differently to hormone therapy and a short trial may examine whether it is right for an individual.
Sleep time habits that are useful are keeping the bedroom cool, relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation, warm baths, soft music, using the bed only for sleeping and getting into bed only when sleepy. Mild aerobic exercise early in the evening and consuming foods rich in tryptophan like milk, fig, banana, dates and tuna helps. Avoiding stimulants like alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine and foods rich in tyramine like bacon, cheese, and sausage. When the hormone level reaches a balance after some period, though at a lower level, the problem should sort itself out if it is the menopause that caused it.