How Menopause and Hormone Imbalances Affect Your Sleep
You might be familiar with some of the symptoms related to menopause, such as hot flashes and fatigue, but did you know that a hormone imbalance can also affect your sleep? Many women may not even realize that their fatigue is related to various types of sleep disturbances that can be treated, assuming that it must be result of menopause in general. There are a few reasons that menopause may cause women to lose sleep.
Hot Flashes
Also known as night sweats, hot flashes can disturb your sleep. During menopause, your estrogen levels drop. This can lead to sudden bouts of feeling overheated and copious sweating. Although women may perceive that they are being awakened by these night sweats, some studies show that women actually wake up just before a hot flash occurs. This indicates that there could be brain activity that causes women to wake up along with the discomfort of being too hot. Wearing loose-fitting clothing to bed and keeping a glass of water nearby to sip can help. Hormone therapy can also treat night sweats to make sleep more comfortable.
Insomnia
The hormonal imbalance that accompanies menopause can cause a number of mental and emotional changes, such as depression and anxiety. This in turn can lead to insomnia. Hormone imbalance treatment can help even out your emotions so you can get a good night’s sleep again.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a condition in which people stop breathing throughout the night, either because of a blocked airway or because their brain is not sending the right signals. Menopause significantly increases the likelihood of developing sleep apnea. It is unclear why this happens although in some women, it could be related to weight gain, which is also more likely when there is a hormonal imbalance. People often associate sleep apnea with snoring, but this is not always a symptom, and women in particular may have sleep apnea even if they do not snore. Furthermore, women may not remember waking up frequently throughout the night. Menopause treatment can include being treated for sleep apnea.
Menopause is a natural time of life, but it can also cause discomfort, and health problems can result from not getting enough sleep. If you are suffering from insomnia or simply feel fatigued all the time, make an appointment with us today at HerKare. We can check your hormone levels, test you for sleep apnea and help get to the bottom of what’s making you feel bad.