Sleep And The Menopause

Anandi - The Sleep Guru

Many women going through the menopause will tell you that although they never had a sleep issue in the past, the quality of their sleep has changed. 

Hot flushes, of course, will keep you awake as you throw the bed clothes off because you are boiling, then scrabble to get them back on because you are cold. It can be very unpleasant and frustrating. Some women even think that life as they know it is over when hit 45. In fact, many women are on antidepressants because the changes can make you feel wretched, especially if you are sleeping less.

Menopause can be a difficult time for women as they try to act normal on reduced hours of sleep feeling like the life force has been sucked out of them.

Some people are luckier than others and it often depends on your Ayurvedic constitution. Vata, the light, cold and dry constitution may not suffer from hot flushes, but could well suffer from dryness as it is constitution of dehydration and lack of lubrication. Pitta, the hot oily constitution may well suffer from hot flushes as they are already prone to feeling warm. A slight change in the hormones could have them going bright red and feeling like someone has turned the boiler up. Kapha constitution, the cold and moist types may suffer less from the hot flushes, but are prone to putting on weight and suffering from fluid retention. 

Those of Vata constitution are unfortunately predisposed to suffering from insomnia, so if they didn’t suffer from poor quality sleep in the younger years, they may just start having issues during the menopause. When oestrogen is low the stress hormones go up, so poor quality sleep is very, very common during menopause for Vata.

Ayurveda’s key principle is balance.

If the body is in harmony, the likelihood of having a rocky ride through the menopause and a sleep issue are greatly reduced. There are number of things you can do to maintain balance during the menopause:

  • Consider taking some type of natural hormone treatment. I believe bio-identical hormones are a good solution (they are very different to synthetic hormones and very safe).
  • Bring your system back into balance with food. Nutrition is fundamental. Make sure you are eating the correct foods for your constitution. 
  • Give yourself time to relax and rest. A home yoga practice and regular retreats are helpful.
  • Shatavari is the ‘magic’ Ayurvedic herb for female hormonal issues. It is known as the herb of 100 husbands! Joking aside, it has fantastic affects for women going through the menopause. It helps balance the hormones, has a soothing effect on the digestive tract, supports the immune system and helps with energy levels. You can find this on most online Ayurvedic stores.

It’s important to get the message across to your family that it is not selfish to look after yourself or put yourself first. Many women have been running around looking after the family, working and thinking about their own health last. This is not the way to have a smooth menopause with a normal sleep pattern.

If you are heading for the menopause, or going through it, rest assured, you can still feel vital, attractive and sleep beautifully, it is all a question of balance.

 

We have a range of menopause support retreats that can help you to tackle the symptoms you are experiencing. Contact our wellness travel experts who will be able to help you find the right retreat for you. Call 020 7843 3597 or click here to enquire

 

*This is a guest blog by Anandi - The Sleep Guru


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