As we go into this time of celebrating women, both on Women’s Day and pretty much throughout the month, we are reminded that women face certain challenges that men don’t. One of these is significant hormonal changes, some of which occur at certain times of their lives and some of which occur regularly.
These include menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth, menopause and simply the tendency to suffer quite a lot of stress, often more than that experienced by their male counterparts. All of these cause certain hormones to change, and these changes to the levels of estrogen, progesterone, and other key hormones can, as medical experts put it ‘’cause insomnia, night sweats, or frequent awakenings.’’
The bottom line is that due to these regular and sometimes escalated hormonal fluctuations, many women struggle with getting a good night’s sleep. It is a complex subject, but we thought it may be helpful to try to summarise what every woman needs to know about hormonal changes and sleep, and offer some suggestions on how they may improve their sleep in spite of it.
The effect of hormones on sleep
- Estrogen helps to regulate sleep, so low estrogen levels, usually during menopause and certain phases of the menstrual cycle, can cause hot flushes and night sweats, making restful sleep difficult.
- Progesterone, which has a calming effect on the brain but usually fluctuates or declines during menopause, can lead to sleep disturbances like insomnia and restless nights.
- The production of Melatonin, which regulates the sleeping and waking cycles, can be disrupted, particularly before and during menopause, to cause irregular sleeping patterns.
- Cortisol, the main stress hormone, according to medical professionals, “follows a natural rhythm, peaking in the morning and decreasing at night. Therefore, chronic stress or hormonal imbalances can lead to elevated cortisol levels at night, making it harder to relax and fall asleep.’’
What can we do about it?
Hormonal changes are natural and necessary during these phases of a woman’s life, so they cannot be avoided. There are, however, ways to improve your sleeping patterns during such times as these, and they are not that different to what anyone should be doing to improve their sleeping cycle and quality of sleep all the time.
These include:
- Maintaining a consistent time to go to bed, even on weekends and holidays.
- Ensuring the room is cool and dark to promote sleep comfort.
- Limiting blue screen time.
- Drinking no caffeine or too much alcohol before bedtime.
To promote good health and better sleep, regular exercise earlier in the day is also essential, and if your sleep is still badly affected, you can discuss hormone therapy or natural supplements with your medical professional.
Sleep on a great mattress
These are some of the things that every woman needs to know about hormonal changes and sleep, but men and women alike in South Africa already know that one of the best ways to induce better sleep is to sleep on a mattress that is designed to enhance it, like a Truform mattress!
Truform bedding has, for over 40 years, been producing some of the finest, yet most affordable mattresses in the land, so talk to us about your mattress needs or test a Truform at a store near you today.
To all our strong, resilient, inspirational women – we wish you a Happy Women’s Month!