Sleep - Ageing and Menopause

This has been a topic that has sparked my interest as I never had problems sleeping and some nights, I just can’t seem to stay asleep. I go to bed ready and willing to fall asleep and then my mind goes into overdrive. I then do a short meditation and listen to a sleep story and that sets me right. I then wake during the night around 2.30am to go to the little girls room and then that’s it… my monkey mind starts again. So I got on the research wagon to find out what is going on now that I’m in my 50’s and also going through menopause.

I found out that we still require the same amount of sleep 7-8 hours but there are things that can cause this to change.

As we age our body clock changes and there can be other factors that come into play that can inhibit our falling and staying asleep. There can be stressors in our life such as pain, depression, hormones and sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea where our melatonin is depleted which is the natural sleep hormone. Also during menopause when we can get the night sweats/hot flushes (a surge of adrenalin which I didn’t know that this was what happens here) this can certainly wake us and inhibit us falling back to sleep. The temperature of the room is important too. Wearing light clothing and bedding makes a difference too.

I am also aware that insomnia/poor sleep patterns can put you at more risk of developing depression. Eating a healthy diet can help and especially avoiding caffeine, nicotine and alcohol at least 4 hours before you plan to go to bed. If you are worried about not sleeping well ask your GP to refer you to a psychologist who specialises in sleep disorders and mental health.

Some tips I came across include:

Using a sleep diary to help pinpoint ways of improving your sleep quality. Writing down the nights that are good… what did you do before bed, how were you feeling etc.can be something you refer back to later to aim to achieve the same good nights sleep again.
Going to bed at the same time each night and waking at the same time each morning.
Getting enough activity during the day; and
I’ve heard sunshine is good too.
Limit screen time before bed as the bright light suppresses melatonin.
Think about other ways to wind down about an hour before bed such as, read a book, listen to music, take a warm bath or shower, dim the lights and meditate.
When in bed, listen to some calming relaxation techniques, a sleep story or think about a place that makes you feel calm and at peace.
I love this one… don’t take your worry’s to bed with you. Write them out/journal them well and truly before bed time and that way they are out, on paper and something that can be dealt with at a later date.
Minimise any disruptions that may occur such as too much light coming in, temperature in the room. Put a fan on, use some heavier curtains.
Other disruptions can be feeling unsafe, a pet that keeps you awake, noise (use ear plugs/eye mask etc)
Have a positive outlook about your nights sleep…think that ‘tonight is going to be a good night’
Falling asleep in front of the tv can only lead to having to put it on again later in the night as we grow dependent on that being a cue to falling asleep.
Caffeine and alcohol - don’t have any of these up to 4 hours before going to bed. Tea and chocolate also contain caffeine.