How Does Menopause Impact Sleep? The Repercussions and Helpful Strategies

A good night’s sleep isn’t just one of life’s small pleasures; it’s also a necessary foundation to how we function throughout the day that follows. Menopause can pose a challenge to getting a night of uninterrupted sleep, bringing a host of symptoms and hormonal changes that can cause disruption to our regular sleeping patterns.

For many women, sleep problems begin during perimenopause, which is the period of time before menopause has truly begun. It’s during this window when periods are likely to become irregular, the result of changing hormone levels that signify the impending arrival of menopause itself.

While our sleep needs differ from individual to individual, seven to eight hours of sleep a night is a common goal to ensure our body has the rest it needs for the day ahead. Disrupted sleep (resulting in waking up regularly throughout the night) or constantly waking up and feeling unrested, even after a solid sleep, are two signs that changing hormones may be wreaking havoc with your resting habits.

Why menopause impacts sleep

There is a wide range of reasons why menopause can lead to negative impacts on our sleep. It can also impact sleep in varying ways, with some women experiencing challenges in falling asleep, staying asleep or sinking into a deeper state of sleep in order to achieve true rest.

One cause is the fluctuating and changing levels of hormones that accompany menopause. This can lead to instability in body temperatures, along with sudden and sporadic surges in adrenaline. This results in a hot flush (which is also referred to as night sweats when it occurs during sleep), causing women to wake up right before it occurs. Alongside the disruption itself, women may then feel like they’re overheating, experience a large amount of sudden sweat, and find it difficult to get back to sleep after it’s passed.

Alongside night sweats, women may develop sleep disorders such as sleep apnea throughout menopause as a result of a decrease in reproductive hormones. Unfortunately, it’s easy for these disorders to go undiagnosed, with many women linking their effects to menopause itself.

Repercussions of reduced sleep

You don’t need to be experiencing menopause to understand how debilitating consistent sleep problems can be. Sleep disruption and low-quality sleep can result in negative health consequences including:

• Impacts on the central nervous system. Sleep deprivation means your brain hasn’t had the opportunity it needs to form pathways between nerve cells and synthesise new information, resulting in exhaustion. This also impacts on your ability to learn, concentrate and send effective signals to the body, resulting in less coordination and an increased risk of accidents.
• Negative effects on mental abilities and emotional states. Ever experienced impatience or irregular mood swings on the back of a bad night’s sleep? You can blame the tossing and turning for these impacts on your body’s ability to regulate. 
• Impacts on the immune system. Sleep is crucial to the production of key infection-fighting substances, including antibodies and cytokines. When sleep is disrupted, the immune system isn’t as effective in building up its defensive supplies. When sleep deprivation continues over extensive periods of time, you can also become at risk for chronic conditions due to reduced immunity.
• Increased risks of respiratory disease. Waking up through the night can leave you more vulnerable to respiratory infections like cold and flus, and can also worsen existing respiratory diseases.
• Disruption to digestive processes. As sleep affects the production of leptin and ghrelin, hormones which are responsible for controlling feelings of hunger and fullness, a lack of sleep can result in an overstimulated appetite. Sleep disruption can also lower the amount of insulin your body releases after eating, creating more opportunities for unhealthy weight gain.
• Negative effects on the cardiovascular system. With studies correlating insomnia to increased risks of heart attacks and strokes, it’s crucial to protect the quality of our sleep. Sleep contributes to necessary processes for a healthy heart and blood vessels, as well as contributing to our abilities to heal and repair blood vessels and the heart itself.
• Disrupted hormone production. While menopause is the result of decreased levels of certain hormones, sleep disruption can further impact our abilities to grow the hormones we need for normal everyday function.

Where to find support for menopause-related sleep disruption

If you’re experiencing sleep disruption or reduced sleep quality as a result of menopausal changes, there are many resources and strategies that can offer vital support. By proactively seeking solutions that contribute to a restful night’s sleep, you’ll protect your everyday health and well-being, even as menopause continues to bring further changes.

What works well for one woman may not be effective for the next when it comes to fighting menopause-related sleep disruptions, but these tips are a great starting point:

• Aim to go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each day. A regular sleep schedule can help to signal to your body that it’s time to wind down, supporting your sleep window throughout hormonal changes.
• Cut down on late afternoon naps. Even if you’re sleepy, this can result in an inability to fall asleep later at a reasonable hour.
• Embrace a personalised bedtime routine. Consider reading a chapter of a novel, enjoying a lingering bath or a regular meditation practice. Even simple habits, like applying skincare, can be an integral part of how we wind down for the evening.
• Avoid electronics. TVs, computers and mobile devices can all make it more difficult to fall asleep.
• Monitor the temperature of your bedroom. If you’re too warm or too cold, it’ll be more difficult to fall asleep (and stay asleep).
• Work exercise into your daily routine. This can help to wear your body out physically, which is useful for those who may struggle to fall asleep. 
• Reduce your caffeine and alcohol intake. While a glass of wine may help you to fall asleep, it can be disruptive to your sleep as the night continues.

Navigating menopause’s challenges

Knowledge is power, and when it comes to fighting the negative impacts of menopause, you can never have too much of it. Our team of menopause experts and health practitioners work with thousands of Australian women to find effective treatments for the disruptive nature of menopause. Contact us today to learn how we can support your sleep and your everyday activities.