During the peri-menopausal and menopausal cycle, getting a good night’s sleep can become a living nightmare. Night sweats, temperature fluctuations, anxiety and aches and pains brought on by hormonal disruption can all contribute to sleepless nights and exhaustion. If tackling the symptoms of the menopause wasn’t enough, long-term effects of sleep deprivation can cause:-

- Our cognitive and motor skills are compromised

- Cortisol, the stress hormone, is released through sleep deprivation, which can

   lead to depression

- Increased blood pressure

- Memory loss

- We feel the cold more and therefore fight harder to stay warm

- Collagen diminishes

- Weight Gain

Sleep is so important for our well being and we will always be alerting you to any new information to help you get a good night’s rest.

Here are some of our top tips…

1. Have a hot bath or shower before bed, your body will cool down when you get into bed, which will induce your sleep allowing you to drift off gently.
    
2. Make sure your surroundings are as dark as possible, the brain will in turn produce melatonin, the sleep hormone. An eye mask is a great investment.
    
3.  If you wear nightwear, choose cotton, preferably organic, allowing your body to breathe if you get hot in the night.
    
4. Avoid caffeine and sugar, especially after midday, allowing your body time to burn it off before you sleep.
    
5. Avoid phones and all other gadgets before you sleep, the white lights behind your screen will disrupt your brain.
    
6.  Turn your WiFi off, studies have shown that Electro Magnetic Fields (microwaves) disrupt sleep patterns. Just because you cant see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there.
    
7. Try some organic essential oils and herbs. Lavender for calming and relaxation, sage for hot flushes, and chamomile for helping with sleep are just a few of the wonderful natural remedies available.
    
8. Excess hormones are flushed through the liver once they are no longer  flushed out of the body during menstruation, hence the “hot flush”. Looking after your liver is so important, avoid alcohol. The Chinese Medicine “Body Clock” is built on the principle that within the 24 cycle, each bodily organ has a two hour window of heightened energy (Qi). Between 1am and 3am your Qi moves into the liver, and so many menopausal women report that this around the time they find themselves waking up.