Sleeping Beauty

Happy Mother’s Day! I hope it it was filled with flowers, foot rubs, meals cooked, houses cleaned, diamonds dispensed. OK, now for the bad news. I’m long past it, but Menopause is a time of major hormonal, physical and psychological change for women. Although symptoms may vary, hey hey, there will be symptoms. You’re not nuts if you can’t sleep at night. Or you feel restless. Or hot. Unfortunately, post-menopausal women are less satisfied with their sleep, and as many as 6o% report insomnia symptoms. Including snoring. I always thought we could blame that on our husbands! So what’s a Big Girl to do?

6 Steps to a Better Night’s Sleep

Studies say that up to 61% of women who are postmenopausal experience frequent bouts of insomnia. For me, sleeplessness started sometime in my early 40s. It kind of goes in waves, depending on my stress level, late dining, too much wine, too much work, ummm…life. At its worst, I’ve gone up to two months without sleeping through the night. Yes, I know there are prescription drugs out there that can help, and I did speak with my internist about them. But in the end, I decided to go for a more holistic approach. I doubt I’ll ever be a “perfect sleeper,” but these 6 steps have helped me a lot. If you experience sleepless nights, I hope some or all of them will help you too!