5 Ways Menopause Affects Your Sleep

Getting damp between the sheets may be a lot of fun—or, in the case of menopausal night sweats, a lot of pain (a.k.a. hot flashes at night). You might also have trouble falling asleep, staying sleeping all night, and waking up when your alarm goes off. The most common complaint of women in this stage of life is poor sleep, which is second only to hot flashes. These five bandits may strike in the middle of the night like a Zs-thief, but we have professional tips to help you recapture your sleep.

Your ovaries are producing less estrogen and progesterone as time goes on (or, in some cases, wonky amounts of one or both). Hormones are involved in a variety of functions, including sexual function, bone protection, and mood management. They also interact with substances in the brain that aid in sleep. As their levels drop, so does your capacity to get a good night's sleep.

Multiple large studies show that postmenopausal women are three times more likely than premenopausal women to develop moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is a sleep condition in which the airway collapses, causing intermittent bouts of respiratory cessation throughout the night. According to a research published in the Journal of Sleep Disorders in 2017, between 47 percent and 67 percent of postmenopausal women had OSA. Men may be associated with the gaspy snores associated with OSA, but menopausal weight gain can change the structure of a woman's upper airway, increasing the risk to levels far higher than pre-menopause.

If you share a bed with someone, let them know if you snore loudly or suffocate, choke, or stop breathing while sleeping. All of these symptoms could indicate sleep apnea. Concerned? Consult your internist about a sleep study, which typically entails an overnight stay at a sleep facility. A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask that fits over your nose and mouth and softly breathes air into the airway throughout the night; dental appliances that realign the lower jaw and tongue; and more are among the treatments for sleep apnea.

Menopause does not occur in a vacuum; life continues to spin and churn around you. Perhaps you've just divorced, lost a parent, or had a child leave for college. Changes like these might have a big impact on your evening routine. You may be so busy during the day that tension doesn't have a chance to settle in, but when you're laying in bed at night, trying to get some much-needed rest, anxiety can take over, making sleeping difficult.

The research was conducted as follows: The sleep patterns of 255 women who took part in the Penn Ovarian Aging Study were studied by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. What were the results? Pre-menopausal women in their late 30s and 40s who have trouble sleeping are more than three times as likely to suffer from sleep problems during menopause than women who have never had any trouble sleeping. What a good fortune!

In comparison to the deeper stages of sleep, older persons spend more time in the lighter periods. Changing sleep patterns, according to the National Sleep Foundation, can make falling and staying asleep more difficult. Consider this: how many 60-year-olds do you know who can sleep in as easily and enthusiastically as a teenager on a Sunday morning?