You're not alone.

Here's how hormone changes affect sleep and what you can do about it.

I don’t want to freak you out, but I feel compelled to tell you about my crawling, tingling, itching and itching legs. It’s 2.14AM and the only thing that helps is moving them. After a day of meetings and wrangling humans at work and home, the last thing I need is another night of disturbed sleep. It’s rest time for me but not for my legs and it’s horrible. I struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep.

Restless legs syndrome steals sleep once again.   

I get up, guzzle a magnesium drink, make a chamomile tea and pick up my husband's book about music (boring). I read on the couch and when I go back to bed I sleep.  

Less than an hour later my thumping heart wakes me. My pillow is drenched and so are my PJ's. Hello night sweats. This could happen three times a night.  

How do you cope after a bad night of “sleep”? 

I coped (just) during the baby years (including twins). I didn’t cope with perimenopause and insomnia so much. In a midlife jam packed with responsibilities, disturbed sleep disturbed me. Big time.

I was foggy in my brain, riding a mood rollercoaster, struggling to concentrate and reaching for more coffee worsening my anxiety.  

I knew lack of sleep increases the risk of developing other health problems. Another thing to worry about.  

It’s not you, it’s your hormones. 

Sally called me in a flood of excitement to tell me she finally connected the peri-dots. She realised her patchy sleep, changing cycle and forgetfulness were signs she was in perimenopause. She was excited. Why? Because she had spent the last 12 months berating herself. She thought it was lack of fitness, lack of resilience and her imperfect diet. She had never considered her bearable, yet noticeable health issues were due to hormonal shifts.  

We helped her get a plan together to support her changing body and mind. We focused on sleep first.  

Perimenopause unleashes sleep pandemonium. 

During perimenopause estrogen and progesterone levels decline. Estrogen contributes to better quality sleep. Progesterone is a ‘sleep promoting’ hormone.  

Progesterone is a calming hormone. During any stage of the menopause transition (remember that can be up to 10 years) with fluctuating and declining levels of hormones, it is common to experience problems with sleep, like insomnia, anxiety, and wakefulness. 

Perimenopause and midlife are at play (not always in a good way) 

Several factors broke my sleep: 

• Intense heat - vasomotor symptoms: it’s easy to underestimate the impact of hot flushes/flashes and night sweats on sleep.   
• Anxiety, stress, and low mood. 
• “Menowhelm”: the inevitable pressures of family, work and everyday midlife. Hello ‘sandwich generation’ and raising teens.  
• Packed schedules and demands on my time:  We need “me-time” and strategic slacking. Revenge bedtime procrastination anyone? That is where you stay up later than intended at night, sacrificing sleep time to regain a sense of control over life after a long day of work or obligations. It’s a sign of unmet needs. Restless leg syndrome was very annoying for me. Iron supplementation and magnesium helped.  

"A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything." - Irish Proverb 

What can you do?  

We are talking about it.

Make sleep, sleep hygiene and your habits a priority without becoming obsessed.  

Tips to improve sleep: 

• Move your body and get some exercise even though you are tired.  
• Reduce or eliminate alcohol and caffeine levels.   
• Ditch the devices and get them out of your bedroom.  
• Ensure your bedroom is dark and cool. 
• Keep the room on the cooler side. 
• Stretch before bed.  
• Try the 4-7-8 breathing technique: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds.  
• Let it go and if you can’t sleep leave the bedroom, avoid your phone or laptop (try a boring book) and read for 15 mins before going back to bed.   
• Treat symptoms like hot flushes and night sweats.  
• Look into Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to ease vasomotor symptoms and consider progesterone can help with insomnia (oral progesterone is best for this) 
• Discuss bed clothes with your partner/husband and address the different temperatures needs. Layers are good. 
• Consider Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). its evidence based and works to improve sleep quality and quantity.

Finally, a shout out to my partner-in-growth, Stewart who despite having empathy fatigue, was endlessly patient and supportive as perimenopause caused chaos for our sleep. I’m sorry for all those times I stole the doona only to kick it onto the floor leaving you literally in the cold with the window wide-open in winter.

If you would like customised support to help you thrive as you navigate the choppy seas of midlife, career and perimenopause, consider the Midlife Reboot 1:1 coaching package. Let us be on your team so you can thrive personally and professionally.