How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep During Menopause

Here at Absolute Collagen, we love seeing our Absoluters feel empowered through all stages of their life.

However, many women struggle with the effects menopause can have on their wellbeing. More specifically, we’re talking about those pesky menopause sleep problems that can leave us feeling tired, drained, and distracted throughout the day.

Now, at Absolute Collagen we don’t consider menopause to be a taboo topic or something to fear – far from it! It’s a common life event that, unfortunately, does come along with a few difficulties. That’s why Dr. Barton, our resident menopause expert, has provided five top tips to help menopause insomnia. 

In fact, you can catch our lovely Dr. Barton in the video, below: 

Looking for more advice on how to manage menopause sleep troubles? Well, in this blog we will look at how you can look to manage menopause insomnia with five simple steps. Keep reading, below.

Why does menopause make you tired?

Do you often find yourself feeling exhausted with no clear reason as to why? Well, menopause could be to blame. 

We imagine this won’t come as much of a surprise to many, but one of the main triggers of menopause sleep problems is hormones! More specifically, we’re talking about the fluctuation of the two hormones, progesterone and oestrogen.

But what is it about the rise and fall of these hormones that means menopause makes you tired? During menopause the balance of progesterone and oestrogen starts to weaken, causing them to become imbalanced. And it’s this imbalance that triggers side effects such as hot flashes, mood swings, and menopause insomnia. 

In fact, the hot flushes themselves can also cause menopause insomnia. Understandably, feeling uncomfortably hot when you’re just trying to wind down and relax can make dozing off and staying asleep rather difficult to do.

However, there are plenty of ways to manage menopause sleep problems with natural remedies, all from the comfort of your own home.

Let’s take a look at how!

How can I help menopause sleep problems?

1. Stay off your phone before bed

Staying off your phone and avoiding other screens at least an hour before bed is a great tip for general sleep health, as well as menopause sleep problems. 

While it may be tempting to watch some TV when you’re cosied up in bed, the blue light emitted from electronic devices can wreak havoc on sleep – something menopause is notoriously fond of shortening us of. In particular, our sleep hormone melatonin can start to dwindle as blue light tricks the brain into thinking it’s daytime. 

So, the easiest way to remedy this menopause sleep problem is to replace scrolling on your phone, or flicking through channels, with something altogether more relaxing. Why not try reading, colouring in, or taking a soothing bubble bath? All lovely examples of simple activities to bring peace to your evening!

2. Limit caffeine after 1pm

Sometimes, a coffee after lunch is what motivates us to get through the afternoon – trust us, we’ve been there too! But it’s actually best not to drink caffeine after 1pm when you’re dealing with menopause sleep troubles. 

A cheeky afternoon pick-me-up in the shape of a cappuccino might seem harmless, but it can take a whopping six hours for that caffeine to fully leave your system – and an evening boost of energy is the last thing you want when menopause sleep is already so elusive! This means a 4pm coffee to see you through the last bit of the day can still be keeping you energised at 10pm. 

But don’t fret, as there are plenty of alternatives here! Instead of coffee, you can try decaf coffee or herbal teas, as they contain little to no caffeine. And if you’re looking for a decaf coffee that tastes good and is good then why not try out one of our delicious and healthy caffeine free collagen recipes?

3. Try breathing exercises

Breathing exercises are a great way to settle your body and calm your nervous system, giving yourself the best chance of dozing off with ease. 

One of our favourite menopause sleep breathing exercises is deep breathing and it’s really easy to do! So, before you tuck yourself in, sit in the middle of your bed, get comfy, and follow these steps: 

1. Place one hand on your stomach and let the other rest in a place that feels natural. 
2. Next, breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds and hold it for 7 seconds.
3. Lastly, let the breath rush out as you exhale through your mouth. Repeat this five times and you’re done! 

Just keep in mind that you’ll want to take note of your stomach rising with this exercise, as opposed to your chest, as this means you are breathing as gently and deeply as possible.

4. Take a purposeful pause before bed

In today’s fast world, taking a moment for yourself can seem impossible. But even finding five minutes before bed to reflect can help manage menopause sleep problems.  

For example, you could try writing in a journal. Journalling is a simple way to identify things in your day that may be causing you stress and worsening menopause insomnia. But knowing what to write about can be tricky, so we’ve got a few suggestions to get you started!

For example, you can try answering these three questions:

• What triggered a feeling of anxiety in you today?
• What made you smile today? 
• What is currently causing you stress? 

These questions help you prepare for tomorrow, but also give you a lovely little boost as you reflect on the smaller and more joyous parts of your day.

5. Lower your bedroom temperature

When menopause hot flushes strike at night, it can make getting comfortable in bed much trickier. And while you can’t stop hot flushes directly, you can look to minimise their impact on  your menopause insomnia. 

A quick and easy way to do this is to lower your bedroom temperature. You can try opening your window an hour before you go to bed, so your room is cool and cosy when you’re ready to sleep. And in winter, you can trade in open windows for a fan instead. 

Alternatively, if you find the noise of a fan exacerbates your menopause insomnia, then you can try removing your duvet and just sleeping with the thinner duvet cover. Additionally, sleeping in linen or cotton pyjamas can keep you cool too, as these are breathable materials. 

Now you know a few menopause sleep natural remedies, you might be looking for ways to help other side effects of menopause, such as menopausal skin and wrinkles. 

Obviously, it wouldn’t be an Absolute Collagen article if we didn’t take a moment to discuss our daily collagen sachets. Our Absoluters love the way these sachets make them feel in their skin. In fact, 100% of users in our clinical trial noticed an improvement to fine lines and wrinkles after 12 weeks of taking our daily collagen supplements! 

But if you’re looking for more skincare top tips, such as the best food for healthy skin or how to keep your skin safe during summer, then head over to our blog.