I know many of us women have for years been robbed of our precious sleep due to hormones. I don’t know about you, but for me, it started with night sweats. I was in my thirties and waking up several times a night drenched. I couldn’t wake the spouse up and change the sheets, so I would get up, dry off, change clothes and return with towels. (Sometimes twice a night!) Two towels to lie on and two to separate myself from the wet sheet! I had no idea what was going on! (Meanwhile he slept soundly and missed all the fun!) Want to know why one of us woke up smiling and one of us woke up grouchy? BECAUSE ONLY ONE OF US SLEPT!
Truth told, I battled periods of insomnia all of my life. But, in retrospect and with the knowledge I have now, I realize most of those issues were due to some really bad habits on my part. I may have been able to improve my hormone function, but I could have definitely improved my sleep habits!
The serial entrepreneur I am, I used to get in bed with business books that would just get my brain going. I would be all wired up and excited about some new idea, concept or business venture.
Or I would eat too late or eat the wrong things and be amped up on caffeine or carbs and sugar. (My pre-fully enlightened years! What? That plate of warm toll house cookies in bed was a bad idea?)
I later discovered exercising at night was an issue for me, because after a work out, I would be energized. (Actually, the best time to have sex! If you like anyone that much and have someone to have sex with! Oh, and maybe after a shower! Or not! No judgment!) No, that’s like some scientific S#*T! I did not make that up.
Okay, back to my issues. Mostly my issues were my inability to quiet my thoughts and get my brain to shut up so I could fall asleep. I would be lying there sometimes re-playing all the things I didn’t accomplish that day and all the things I needed to do tomorrow.
Next thing I know I’m scanning the thoughts of everything I did wrong my entire life and having anxious thoughts about the future. No sooner than I chased one thought away there were three more waiting. It was like being on a rollercoaster that wouldn’t stop. Next thing you know, I’m anxious about being anxious! Part hormones. Part insanity.
I would also watch TV in bed. Later it would be laptops and cell phones. I was chronically exhausted and as someone that is incapable of taking naps (unless I’m sick, on a beach or on vacation and happy hour started at noon!) it was an unhealthy existence. No matter how tired I was, my brain just had way too much energy. (Until about 2pm the next day when I needed it to work and it would be crashing on me!)
Eventually, as I changed my habits, things improved! And then came menopause. Lucky for me, it coincided with sleeping alone. I could open the window in the dead of winter and turn the AC to frigid during the summer and then strategically place the fan to blow the arctic air directly at my head!
So, just as it seemed I had my hot flashes and night sweats under control, a new phenomenon developed. I had recently started drinking Starbucks Coffee. I was never a real fan, it just happened to be the closest cup of coffee and I would go there in the morning before work to write. Around that same time, I started feeling this gurgling sensation when I would lie down at night. I slept on my back a lot. (I think it was around the time I read that it was better for your aging face!) I had no idea what was causing this gurgling, but I think I believed I had developed acid reflux. I blamed Starbucks. (I mean it is some strong ass coffee!) I would some times wake up choking and coughing. A little birdie eventually said to me, “You were snoring last night! You must have been really tired. Never heard you do that before!” I laughed that off and thought, “NO WAY!” (Wasn’t really a bird.)
Okay, so he lied about a lot of things, but that wasn’t one of them. Turns out, during this “Stage” of life many women experience these same issues! In addition to the hot flashes and night sweats, many middle-aged women develop sleep apnea! The fun just never ends. So, my face sliding down my neck and the trail of dust that was my vagina wasn’t bad enough? Guess not.
Okay, so back to sleeping. I’m sure you have all heard about Melatonin. You mention not sleeping and someone suggests you try it. I think I did at one point, but I really didn’t know what it was.
Melatonin is actually a hormone produced in your brain by the Pineal Gland. It plays a part in the regulation of the circadian rhythm. (The 24 hour period involving sleep and being awake. It’s a different rhythm of the night. One without El Debarge!) Yes, I’m dating myself, but my whole blog dates myself! Anyway, after menopause, our melatonin levels decline making it more difficult to sleep. According the Roxy Dillon in her book, Bio Young, the Melatonin supplement sold in health food stores is actually a synthetic hormone concoction. Neither Roxy or I are a fan of synthetic anything. “The Pineal Gland can atrophy as a result of these synthetics,” unlike using natural methods to raise your melatonin levels. (So, you see in the long run, it might make things worse.)
For Roxy’s suggestions on natural ways to raise levels, keep reading!
I’m telling you, we women can’t catch a break. Bob, I will take the balding head and the ED for $200! (Not really!)
I also started thinking, maybe we don’t sleep because we see the clock ticking and we know we have limited time. Maybe we don’t want to waste too much of it sleeping. Maybe we still have things we want to accomplish. Or maybe we just want to finally slow down, relax and enjoy! I know I want to enjoy as much of the day as possible? Maybe we just don’t require as much sleep?
WE NEED SLEEP!
Nope. We need sleep. A good seven or eight hours of it, and here’s a few reasons why!
A lack of sleep can affect your immune system. Studies show that people who don’t get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus! (Can you say Rona?) AND, it can also affect how quickly you can recover from said virus!
While you’re sleep, your immune system releases these proteins called cytokines. (Substances secreted by certain cells of the immune system that modulate the functions of other cells. It’s a whole thing you can google, but they help signal the system that it’s time to fight!) Sleep deprivation can decrease production of these protective cytokines.
Long-term sleep deprivation can increase your risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. (Aha! Coincides with the high BP!) It’s all related!
Sleep is a vital. Sleep restores, repairs and reenergizes.
“We now understand that high-quality sleep is absolutely vital to good health,” says Dr. JoAnn E. Manson, the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School.
According to Dr. Manson, in that same article, sleeping less than six hours also increases your risk of cognitive decline. “When you’re asleep, a waste clearance system in the body known as the glymphatic system runs what is essentially a rinse cycle in the brain, using cerebrospinal fluid,” (the clear fluid found in the brain and spine). She explains that this fluid flows more freely through the brain when it is at rest. (At night!) It washes away a harmful protein known as beta-amyloid. When this process doesn’t occur, scientists believe that the build up of beta-amyloid forms plaques that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
Studies also suggest that sleep problems may increase risk and contribute to the development of some psychiatric disorders. There are multiple stages of sleep. When you are in DEEP sleep, your body temperature drops, heart rate and breathing slows and your muscles relax. These physiological changes actually help boost your immune function and again, we can all use the immune boost right now!
So, what can you do? Here are some things I’ve done and some suggestions from Roxy’s book:
Natural Options to Raise Melatonin Levels:
Have a glass of pineapple juice or tart cherry juice daily, but she suggests to consume this no later than 4pm. (Tart Cherry is a bonus if you have gout!)
Walnuts, according to Roxy, also raise melatonin levels.
6 Ways to Better Sleep:
Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. Put yourself on a schedule and try to adhere to it.
Regular exercise, but in the AM or early afternoon. When I exercised at night, I went in the wrong direction.
Create a sleep sanctuary! Keep the room on the cooler side and as dark as possible. I know we need night-lights to keep from busting our asses when we inevitably get up to pee nine times a night, but keep that light to a minimum.
Leave the laptop, if possible cell phone and anything else that emits that blue light, in the other room. Try turning those things OFF at least an hour before you close your eyes. Read a book instead. (Just not a business book!)
Try experimenting with some relaxation techniques such as meditation or deep breathing exercises.
If you are like me, you regularly have a glass of wine in the evening. Don’t overdo it! And definitely, avoid anything with caffeine after lunch-time. That wine might help you fall asleep but it can screw up the quality of your sleep. That sugar will probably wake you up a few hours later.
If you are suffering from lack of sleep, give these a try. And of course, if you have any other suggestions that have worked for you, feel free to share!
Good Night!
https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115205
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/expert-answers/lack-of-sleep/faq-20057757
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/how-does-menopause-affect-my-sleep
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/sleep-and-mental-health