Hot Flashes and Insomnia - Are They Related
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by: WendyJones
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One of the more debilitating symptoms of hot flashes is their impact on our ability to get a good nights sleep. A deep and uninterrupted night's sleep is too long overdue for many postmenopausal women. Many women say they just lie awake, unable to go to sleep or stay asleep, and worrying about being alert for the day ahead.
My grandma was the first person I can remember who used to suffer with insomnia brought on by her hot flashes - she'd explain all the details to us, describing herself as having "eyes like saucers" - which I now understand meant she was wide awake.
It seems that hot flashes, and insomnia in particular have plagued us for a very long time - as even the great Shakespeare wrote about it in Macbeth when he employs a physician to deal with his wife's insomnia: " Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow, Race out the written troubles of the brain; And with-some sweet oblivious antidote cleanse the stuft bosom of that perilous stuff which weighs upon the heart." Well, at least that's what it sounds like to me.
Impact of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Yet, even though insomnia has been around for centuries, it seems to have just gotten worse. That's because many women dropped hormone replacement therapy after news that the risks outweigh the benefits. The abrupt withdrawal led to uncomfortable symptoms like night sweats, hot flashes and vaginal dryness - and sleeplessness.
Many women are now being plagued again with menopause symptoms and problems they thought they had left behind. But there are still a lot of options that can provide effective solutions to these issues.
Sleeplessness is a common complaint I hear about often. But sleeplessness isn't a one-size-fits-all problem. Just like most every other menopause symptom, you need to determine what treatment best fits your particular sleep concern.
The best place to start is by consulting your doctor or health care professional, and discussing all possible options and potential side effects. Believe it or not, some form of hormone replacement therapy could still offer the best short term solution.
How Aging and Insomnia Interact
It's well known that as we get older, our sleeping patterns and habits go through changes. We tend to spend more time in the first two stages of sleep. Stage one is called transitional sleep, and stage two is light sleep. Both are non rapid eye movement (NREM) stages of sleep.
Stages three and four are known as deep or Delta sleep, and these are the most restful - these are the stages we need to get to quickly and remain in longest. Stage five is known as REM or Rapid Eye Movement. This is when we dream and take up about 20 percent of our sleep time.
As we get older, typically into our fifties, we tend to spend more of our sleep time in stages one and two, with the obvious consequences - sleeping lighter and more prone to be woken up. So we get tired earlier in the day, and tend to wake earlier in the morning. But there are always options open to us to enhance our sleep time, not matter how bad it has got.
The first thing you need to do is figure out your sleep pattern and where the problem lies. Some people have difficulty falling asleep, while others will have problems staying asleep. Your problem may be that you're being woken by experiencing a hot flash, or it may be that you wake up, and then have the hot flush. So make some notes for reference.
Can Natural Herbal Remedies Help
Some herbal products might be beneficial. Some specific herbal menopause remedies could be the answer, or over-the-counter sleep aids might help for awhile, but don't rely on the sleep aids too much - it's never that simple. It's better to create a new sleep pattern, a new routine that signals the body that it's time to sleep.
Stopping Hot Flashes From Disrupting Your Sleep
When hot flashes start to disrupt your sleep, the first thing you need to do is stop worrying about it, and look to what is causing them - find the triggers. Some women find that when they dream, that triggers a hot flash. By finding out what is triggering them, you are now in a much better position to deal with them - rather than taking sleeping medications to make you sleep through it.
You have to find out what your body needs and work with it to get back into your normal routine.
Sometimes all it takes is changing your routine or diet. Spending a half hour in a darkened, cool room increases sleep hormones like melatonin in the body. Avoid stimulating activities before you go to bed. That hot shower at night can trigger hot flashes. Exercising late in the day might spike adrenaline, making sleep difficult.
Diet is also very important - what we eat has a huge impact on how our body works. Some speciality teas for example can induce hot flashes, so choose carefully and do a bit of research. Believe it or not, carbohydrates also increase your sleep hormones, so if you're on a low carb diet you may want to make a few exceptions in the evening. And warm milk can be a great help to induce sleep, but I'd recommend a non-dairy alternative like soy milk.
About the Author
Don't suffer with hot flashes and insomnia any longer. Wendy Jones shares her experiences of insomnia and hot flashes on her blog talking about menopause symptoms Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory
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