Women In Their 40s Are Waking Up At 3am – Is This Why?

Menopause can impact sleep in a number of ways.If you’re over 40 and find yourself waking up regularly at 3am, there could be a relatively simple explanation as to why.According to experts, hormonal changes caused by menopause can disrupt your slumber – with women often reporting 3am wake-ups as a result. Dubbed menopausal insomnia, the issue has been linked to poor mental health if left unchecked. A 2023 survey by Dunelm, of 2,005 perimenopausal and menopausal women, found 69% said not being able to sleep properly was impacting their wellbeing. What is menopausal insomnia?Unfortunately, restless nights are common during perimenopause, menopause and even post-menopause. The National Institutes of Health suggest sleep disturbances vary from 16% to 42% before menopause, 39% to 47% during perimenopause, and from 35% to 60% after menopause.Perimenopause typically occurs in a woman’s forties (however in some cases it can occur even earlier). Menopause typically impacts women between the ages of 45 and 55.Dr Clare Spencer, a menopause specialist, told Dunelm people experiencing menopause might struggle to get to sleep, or experience night time waking – both of which can impact how you function the next day. Broken sleep can also be directly connected to some of the physical and mental symptoms of the menopause, she suggested – for example, hot flushes or night sweats might be waking you up, or you might need to go to the loo more. Likewise, anxiety and increased stress can make you restless at night.Of course, 3am wake-ups aren’t always linked to menopause – but if you’re experiencing other symptoms of the hormonal shift, it’s likely to blame. The impact of regular sleep disruption“Studies have shown that a lack of sleep can really affect your mood, making your brain focus on negative thinking and even a tendency for your brain to remember unhappy events rather than happy ones,” Dr Spencer said. “It can impair your judgement and concentration, too, which doesn’t help the experience of menopausal brain fog. These symptoms can impact on mood also, or heighten anxiety which can then, in turn, impact on sleep. Inadequate sleep can also impair your reaction time, so you can become more accident-prone and clumsy.”What can I do about it?There are a number of changes you can make to try and reduce menopausal insomnia, according to the menopause specialist. These include: Limit alcohol and caffeine intakeExercise regularly (but not too late in the day)Avoid large meals before bedTry to quit smokingTry to manage stress and anxiety – yoga, meditation and talking therapies can helpLimit screen-time before bed and follow a bedtime routine each nightConsider HRT, “particularly if menopause symptoms are impacting on getting off to sleep or the ability to stay asleep”.If you struggle with hot flushes, the NHS suggests wearing loose clothing to bed and keeping your bedroom nice and cool. Tweaking your diet might also help improve sleep. A study of over 50,000 postmenopausal women found those with a high glycemic index (GI) diet, and those who consumed more added sugars, had a bigger risk of developing insomnia.Foods high in GI include white bread, white rice, cereal, cakes and sweet treats, potatoes and fries, crisps, crackers and fruit yoghurts.In contrast, those who ate more fruits and vegetables had a lower risk of developing insomnia. Related...Always Unwell? A Huge New Study Suggests It Could Be Your Sleep ScheduleI Thought We Needed To Sleep Apart – Then Came The Scandinavian MethodHere's Exactly How Many Minutes To Run Per Week For Better Sleep

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