Menopause

A normal part of aging, menopause is the stage in a woman’s life when the ovaries stop producing estrogen and progesterone. Menopause marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years and her monthly menstrual cycle.

However, in many cases, it means the beginning of sleep difficulties. The change in hormones, and the resulting hot flashes occurring in approximately 80 percent of menopausal women, can greatly affect a woman’s sleep. Hot flashes can make it nearly impossible for a woman to fall asleep, continually wake her up in the middle of the night, or simply affect sleep quality in general.

In some cases, additional stress and other psychological factors are the cause of poor sleep, just as they do throughout everyone's lives.

Treatment
The traditional treatment of severe menopause symptoms including hot flashes and insomnia is hormone therapy (HT), a term that refers to the administering of estrogen alone or a combination of estrogen/progestin (for women who still have a uterus). Estrogen is available in the form of pills, tablets, patches, creams, or vaginal preparations (vaginal rings, vaginal tablets, or vaginal cream). The choice of estrogen preparation depends on the women's symptoms.
Side effects of HT are to be considered, generally more minor than serious – including headaches, nausea and pain.

You should speak with your SleepCenter physician about hormone therapy options so that you can make an educated decision.

Treatment without Hormone Therapy
If you decide against hormone therapy as your treatment, the SleepCenter can still help with your menopausal symptoms. Although HT is generally considered the superior treatment in terms of medications, other prescription non-hormonal medications can be recommended to reduce hot flashes, help with insomnia or lessen depression or anxiety symptoms.

On Your Own
We also have a few suggestions to help make your sleep environment the best it can be during menopause:

Wear loose clothing to bed.

Make sure your bedroom is cool, with good ventilation.

Avoid spicy foods or other activities that may cause sweating, especially right before bed.

And, as recommended for everyone:

Maintain a regular bedtime schedule. Go to sleep and wake up as close to the same time as you can each day.

Exercise regularly but not right before sleep.

Try to avoid caffeine.

When to See the SleepCenter
If you have trouble sleeping for more than a couple weeks, whether or not you think that the cause could be from menopause, you shouldn’t wait to find out what’s wrong. Fill out our sleep survey or contact us to set up your initial appointment.