10 Ways I Get A Better Night’s Sleep
Poor sleep is such a common symptom of menopause and ageing. However, when looking at the stats, very few people have what’s known as a ‘primary sleep disorder’. This means that there is usually something we’re doing, or not doing that is contributing to us finding it difficult to get to sleep, waking in the night and waking early.
Of course, the hormonal fluctuations and shifts in perimenopause and menopause can contribute in a number of different ways to sleep difficulties from physical to cognitive issues, but there’s always something we can do to give ourselves a better chance of a good night.
I recently went through a period of poor sleep, and I wanted to share what worked for me. I was at the point where I was feeling frazzled and hopeless! So I took my journal, made a list of the things that I wasn’t doing well and a list of action steps that I could implement. And here’s what worked…
Separate Beds - We’re lucky to have a guest room, so when I am struggling with sleep, Mr P kindly decamps to the spare room until I’m back on track. Or if it’s in the middle of the night when I decide I need to be alone, I will decamp. Then I can do what I like with the bedding and air temperature!
An Eye Mask - Even in the winter, I find that wearing an eye mask helps me to sleep longer in the morning, and especially as it’s now getting lighter. I have a silky one that fits well and it really does make a huge difference.
Work Backwards To Prioritise My Sleep - I like to give myself 9 hours (I know, I’m a girl who likes her sleep!). This means that if I want to wake at 7.30am, it’s lights out at 10.30pm. Work out what you need and work back from that. If you can’t sleep, resting is equally as important. If I have periods of wakefulness in the night, I will get up, go to the loo (I find this changes the loop of mindless chatter in my brain) and then get back into bed and do some progressive relaxation and focus on long, gentle breaths.
Turn Off My Brain - I read a non-fiction book as soon as I get into bed. I may only stay awake for a couple of pages sometimes, but it helps to remove the thoughts of the day, and if it’s a bit of a magical book (recently The Lost Bookshop) it transports me to a different world.
Take Magnesium Glycinate (always check before taking supplements that it doesn’t react with any meds or health conditions that you have). I really find this helps me have a deeper sleep. I absolutely love it! This form of magnesium is known to be well-absorbed and seems to work well for many women.
Don't Exercise Too Late - I know this is hard if it’s the only time you get to do it, but stressful exercise later at night could mean that your cortisol levels are too high when you’re going to bed. I used to find that 6pm was my cut-off point, but even then it could disrupt my sleep. Cortisol should be coming down at night, so avoid anything that gets your stress levels soaring. Or if you can’t avoid it, try to bring it down with breath work or meditative practices.
Progressive Relaxation and Long, Gentle Breaths - If like me, you wake in the night and get that incessant whirlwind of random thoughts, combined with a bit of anxiety and catastrophising when you’re in that half-asleep, half-awake moment, then try to consciously carry out a few deep gentle breaths and relax progressively from your head to your toes. Seriously, sometimes I think my eyebrows can drop about an inch when I do this. You will notice a slowing of your heart rate and feel so much more peaceful.
Less Booze/Avoid Booze - I am finding that the amount I can comfortably drink without hot moments (of the bad kind) in the night is getting lower and lower. I can probably drink about 1 glass comfortably at this point, and pay the price with my sleep and mood if it’s any more. But knowing that we become less able to handle alcohol as we advance in years - and the fact that it actually damages the brain and increases our risk of certain cancers, means that we will really benefit from reviewing our relationship with alcohol, and making some changes where needed and helpful. I’ve been exploring some of the fantastic alcohol-free spirits now available - so many great botanical blends out there that support rather than diminish our menopausal health.
Good Sleep Starts In the Morning - If you need to reset your sleep, do try to get full morning light, even if it’s cloudy, as soon after waking as possible. Even 10-20 minutes can make a difference to your circadian rhythm. Now it’s getting lighter, it’s going to be a perfect time to try and make this more of a habit. I just try and step into the garden and have a wander and breathe in the fresh morning air, as I let my dog out. It’s a great way to cool down if you find you’re running hot too.
Dim Your Lights At Night - At the end of the day, we need to stimulate melatonin. Lowering your light exposure is one way to achieve this. Avoiding back-lit gadgets and bright lights in the home helps me to start to feel more relaxed and sleepier.
So I hope you have found this helpful and that there’s one or two (or maybe more) things that you might be able to try. We can take on the world when we get a good night sleep, and everything works better from our mood to our metabolism. And it just makes that ride through the menopause transition so much easier!
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With warm wishes