Sleep (or lack of it) can be a major issue during the transition to menopause, often for women who have never had issues with sleep before. Some women have trouble fall asleep and some find they wake in the middle of the night and can’t easily get back to sleep.
There are 3 main reasons why sleeplessness or insomnia occurs during perimenopause:
- Alteration in reproductive hormone levels.
Estrogen and progesterone are the major hormones of reproduction. These hormones have an effect on brain energy and body temperature regulation. Progesterone also increases serotonin levels to create a relaxing/sedating effect in our bodies. When the levels and ratios of these hormones start changing, we often have difficulty falling asleep AND can be woken up in the middle of the night. - Liver overload
This can occur during perimenopause because of the boosts and fluctuations in amounts of hormones to be processed and cleared by the liver. This can also result in difficulty processing alcohol, which could be the reason you wake up suddenly during the night. This affect can occur up to 24 hours after the alcohol was consumed. Try going without for a week to see if this makes a difference. - Anxiety and/or depression
Often for the first time a woman will experience some form of anxiety or depression during perimenopause. There are many stresses in a woman’s life at this time and the fact you are having problems sleeping causes even more anxiety and stress thus perpetuating the cycle. Try out some breathing techniques to see if this helps you.
I have a webinar I dedicated to this topic on HOW TO GET TO SLEEP & STAY ASLEEP. It is under the webinar recordings section – in the menu above. If you can’t find it or want more information send me a message here: