Symptoms of Menopause Sleeplessness

Symptoms of menopause sleeplessness can range from insomnia itself to the effects of inadequate sleep on the female body. The primary symptom of menopause sleeplessness is the inability to fall asleep in a reasonable amount of time (considered by most sleep experts to be roughly a half hour). Women may also experience frequent waking during the night – as well as an inability to fall back to sleep once awakened.

Many women also experience night sweats – nighttime hot flashes that are one of the primary causes of menopause insomnia. Night sweats can leave menopausal women suddenly waking with rising temperatures and heavy perspiration, further exacerbating menopause sleeplessness.

Another hallmark of menopause sleeplessness is lack of deep sleep, known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. For many women, this lack of REM sleep means lower quality rest, in addition to the inability to consistently get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Menopause sleeplessness can also trigger other signs of menopause, such as difficulty concentrating, mood instability, and depression.

Risks of Menopause Sleeplessness

There are a number of risks associated with menopause sleeplessness. Without the proper amount of restful sleep, daytime functionality and quality of life are affected. You may find it difficult to concentrate or unable to remember things. Lack of sleep results in irritability – and, possibly, depression. Combined with the concentration issue, this may cause problems in your professional and personal relationships. A slower reaction time may make you prone to accidents. Additionally, lack of sleep has a negative effect on your immune system, so you may find yourself falling ill more frequently. Lack of proper sleep has also been linked to weight gain.

Causes of Menopause Sleeplessness

There are a great many factors that can cause sleeplessness. The primary cause, however, is the hormonal imbalance that occurs during menopause. Both estrogen and progesterone are linked to the sleep function. A decline in estrogen affects the body’s ability to use magnesium, which relaxes the muscles, while progesterone regulates drowsiness and the ability to fall asleep. Both of these hormones are regulated by communication among the hypothalamus, the pituitary and the ovaries, and it is this communication that is disrupted by menopause.

In addition to hormonal causes, lifestyle triggers may exacerbate sleeplessness during menopause, including exercising too close to bedtime, eating spicy foods, smoking and using alcohol. Environmental factors, such as an overheated bedroom or uncomfortable nightclothes, are also common causes.

Menopause Sleeplessness Treatments

Making lifestyle and environmental changes should be your first step in treating sleeplessness, but generally speaking, these changes are not completely effective. Some women also turn to pharmaceutical sleep aids, which can carry with them side effects – as well as the possibility of dependency. Over-the-counter sleep aids may also be useful, though often they provide low or short-term relief.

Amberen allows symptoms of menopause – such as night sweats and accompanying sleeplessness – to dissipate, as hormonal balance in your body is restored. Amberen fosters communication among organs of the endocrine system, to encourage your body to resume its natural hormonal balance during menopause. Amberen contains 100 percent natural substances that support communication among the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland and the ovaries. When that communication is enhanced, normal hormonal balance is restored, resolving with the root cause of sleeplessness.

Types of Sleep Disorders

Undisturbed sleep is restful and uninterrupted by periods of wakefulness. Restful sleep allows an individual to dream or sleep, deeply. Studies show that adults require approximately 7 to 8 hours of consistent sleep each day. Sleep disorders associated with the onset of menopause, however, disrupt the sleep-wake cycle for women between the ages of 35 to 55. This commonly reported symptom of menopause, increases anxiety, leads to poor concentration and forgetfulness.

Sleep disorders associated with hormone imbalances also increase stress, weight gain, and weariness throughout the day. Women multi-tasking the care of children, and family, full-time employment and personal relationships, find tasks, overwhelming that were once manageable. Waking throughout the night increases weariness and muscle weakness. It can also lower the immune system’s ability to fight colds, and flu, while exacerbating pre-existing medical conditions.

Estimates by recent Gallup polls indicate 65 million individuals suffer from 70 to 80 types of sleep disorders. The normal aging process can affect the quantity and quality of sleep. Women in menopause report, frequently, sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, snoring, and symptoms of restless leg syndrome.

Symptoms

In addition, symptoms caused by sleep disorder correlate to night sweats and a cycle of fatigue, disrupted sleep, anxiety, muscle weakness, poor attention span, and mood swings. Women who find that they require more than 30 minutes to fall asleep when there is no distraction such as electronics or loud noise may have a sleep disorder. Other symptoms include waking several times throughout the night, and loud snoring accompanied by chocking or gasping, as in sleep apnea.

Other commonly reported symptoms include talking during sleep, sleepwalking, and inability to wake from sleep, accompanied by concentration and memory problems the next day. These symptoms may indicate sleep dysfunction. Women who experience continued, disrupted sleep and extreme anxiety and inability to perform daily tasks, should consult a medical health professional.

Causes

During the onset of menopause, reproductive hormones fluctuate, significantly. Estrogen and progesterone, two primary hormones effecting the menstrual cycle and fertility, disrupt sleep patterns. Between the ages of 35 to 55, women’s menstrual cycles begin to change. Other hormones, affected by changes in estrogen and progesterone diminish sleep-wake cycles, mood, skin elasticity, calcium necessary for bone strength and magnesium required for muscle relaxation. Other effects include increases in weight gain, body temperature, and skin disorders. These commonly described symptoms of menopause directly relate to hormonal changes during mid-life.

Estrogen effects the body’s production of magnesium. Relaxed muscles lead to restful sleep. Hot flashes and night sweats also occur from the ebbing and peaking of estrogen levels. Progesterone helps to induce sleep. The combination of declining estrogen and progesterone lead to restless sleep and symptoms of insomnia. The physical and emotional stress of fitful sleep and sleep disruption finds once manageable tasks now seemingly overwhelming. The lack of at least 7 to 8 hours of consistently restful sleep wreaks havoc on women’s emotional health.

Effect on Physical and Emotional Wellbeing

Decreased self-esteem, worrying symptoms of anxiety, surprising mood swings, and feelings of apathy transmit to a lack of regular sleep patterns. The brain functions best with rest. Ever-burdening financial issues, stress on relationships due to symptoms of menopause, inability to concentration and poor attention span at work add insurmountable stress that can lead to depression.

The ongoing hormonal changes of menopause continue for many years, for some women. Without family or peer support and understanding of the cycle of menopause, anxiety, restless, stress, apathy, and days of overwhelming inability to complete daily tasks lead to depression. Women who manage and treat the symptoms of menopause resulting from sleep disorders find almost immediate relief. These symptoms are temporary and require temporary lifestyle adjustments to enhance women’s quality of life through menopause.

Women may experience sleep disorders without any awareness. Restless that occurs upon waking and feeling sleepy are a normal occurrence in the multi-tasking lives of women, who are caretakers, business executives, and entrepreneurs. Lack of concentration and weariness are ignored or accepted as “just a part of life”. Ultimately, however, disruptions in sleep patterns and overriding untreated symptoms of menopause affect women’s daily lives, even if only others’ notice.

Risks

With women prone to the effects of sleep disorders, obesity, lack of exercise and disrupted sleep due to rotating work shifts disrupt sleep patterns leading to long-term sleep disorders. Take inventory of these common effects of sleep disorders. Reduced ability to comprehend or learn new things is a deleterious effect of lack of sleep. Difficulty finding the right word, memory lapses, and poor concentration are related to sleep disorders, as well.

A weak immune system, accompanied by additional colds and skin disorders are also tangible symptoms of unmanaged menopause. Lack of concentration leads to higher instances of car accidents, harm to personal and business relationships and often the worse indignity of all, weigh gain. With simple attention and treatment, women can boost energy levels and increase quality of life.

Treatments

To get a restful sleep try practicing relaxation techniques. It is also important to go to bed to sleep, without electronic or simulative activities. Try not to fall asleep anywhere but in the bed and get up at a regular time each day. Caffeine and nicotine have an arousing effect on the body. Avoid these substances in the evening. Limit alcohol and fluid intake before sleep. Alcohol may seem like a depressant; however, after several hours of sleep, alcohol can have a stimulating effect. Regular exercise throughout the day will tire the muscles for sleep. Aromatherapy such as lavender baths or lemon balm pillow sachets can induce sleep.

Three Treatment Approaches

Fluctuating hormones during menopause can ebb and peak for several years. Ignoring or accepting these often-debilitating symptoms is not necessary. With simple lifestyle changes, alternative therapies, and supplements women find relief. For some women, a combination of both approaches is necessary to decreases menopause symptoms. For other women, still, their symptoms are so severe that their options become limited. Drugs and surgery carry additional risks and side effects. Women, who are unable to find relief, though, from alternative therapies, may require this option.

Lifestyle Changes

Maintaining a routine sleep/wake cycle in conjunction with daily exercise encourages healthy sleeping patterns. Quitting smoking and substituting caffeinated beverages, after 6 pm, with hot tea or warm milk will also increase restfulness. Excess body fat weighs heavy on the lungs, muscles, joints causing snoring, and sleep disruptions. Losing 5 to 10 lbs of body fat may seem difficult during menopause. Although, 30 minutes of daily exercise or chores accompanied by increased consumption of fruits and vegetables reduces weight on the lungs, muscle and joints. Leave business, housework, and electronic devises out of the sleep routine. This change will reduce excess mind activity and worry that occurs at bedtime. Practicing biofeedback or similar stress relief techniques to induce sleep will train the body to accept and maintain sleep.

Alternative Medicine

Occasionally, these lifestyle changes are not sufficient to ensure that much needed rest. Alternative therapies such as massage, acupuncture, yoga, and hypnosis nourish the body’s natural rhythms, to entice sleep. Varieties of herbal supplements increase the body’s natural production of waning minerals; bring routine, uninterrupted rest and sleep. Often a combination of simple lifestyle changes, alternative therapies, and herbal supplements provide women with sufficient sleep to diminish the symptoms of hormonal imbalances that occur during menopause.

Drugs and Surgery

Women experiencing severe and debilitating sleep disturbances may require pharmacological intervention. These women should consult a medical health professional, immediately. Varieties of prescription sleep aids may provide short-term relief to increase sleep but do increase the risk of dependence. For long-term relief from sleep disorder symptoms related to menopause include options that combine life style changes and alternative therapies for lasting effects.