A spoonful of ‘sugar’ helps the medicine go down.
Well, even better, in ‘midlife’ sleep is our medicine for ‘lifestyle modification & change’.
It’s one of the main & best ways for us to restore the balance in our bodies. We know if we can’t sleep or we find ourselves caught in the 3am wide awake cycle, then we start to feel anxious about getting through the next day – so much to juggle in the knowledge that we may struggle to concentrate, remember things, have brain fog or get grumpy with our partner, husband wife and/or kids.
Sleep is fundamental for our physical & mental health – poor sleep means no healing & no recovery.
Insufficient sleep can impair our judgement, decision making & reaction time. It can create low mood in us, irritability, and insomnia can increase anxiety & depression for us three-fold.
Did you know that oestrogen is a natural inflammatory? Getting good sleep can help minimise ‘inflammation’ in our body. Oestrogen plays a role in metabolising serotonin and has an antidepressant function – decreased levels can affect the body’s ability to keep cool.
Progesterone is a mild sedative too – decreased levels can lead to difficulties in staying asleep – it helps to alleviate our stress & anxiety & aids our ability to sleep & well.
Here are some gentle reminders & tips for helping ourselves in ‘midlife’ with sleep.
Consider your sleeping habits – introduce healthy sleeping behaviours to help regulate your circadian rhythm to improve sleep drive – light exposure, nutrition & movement.
1.Light exposure
-Wake up (an anchor time) and go to bed at approximately the same time
-Look to gain light exposure – daylight or artificial light (former is better, if you can), within 15-30 minutes of waking up
-Dim the lights at least 2 hours before bedtime. Avoid/restrict those blue emitting devices. I now use a small dim light to get ready for bed.
-Avoid turning on the lights between 10pm & 4 am as it will repress your production of melatonin
- Nutrition
– Delay eating for 1-2 hours after waking up and ideally stop eating at least 2-3 hours before bedtime (unless you are going out for dinner, of course)
-Look to eat within an 8-10 hour window every day
-Stop drinking caffeine after 3pm or early
-At night limit (avoid) alcohol and sugar, if you can; limit proteins (these can have a ‘thermogenic effect’ & promote hot flushes)
-Limit fluid drinking 2 hours before going to bed. Consider a camomile tea, as this can have a sedative effect
- Movement
Did you know our movement/exercise is closely correlated our quality of sleep?
-Get outside in green spaces – light exposure helps regulate our circadian rhythm
-What exercise to go for? -Walking, Yoga, Pilates, Cardio and aerobic exercise; moderate weight bearing exercise
-Timing does matter – cardio and HIIT in the first part of the day; flexibility and gentle exercise after 6pm
-Move every day at least 30min (go for a brisk walk)
- Environment
-A bedtime routine – winddown at least 30minutes before going to sleep
-A warm bath or shower before bed
-Ensure the bedroom is cool space – our body needs to cool by 1-2 Celsius to sleep
-A dark(ish) room, as light will suppress our production of melatonin.
-A quiet and uncluttered space
About Me:
I help my clients to explore their current peri or post-menopausal experiences, situation, and problems, understand the impact on their own emotional health, relationships, self-confidence, self-esteem, sense of identity, purpose & professional career life.
Having spent over 23 years myself in corporate HR life, I understand the challenges of a busy work life together with balancing other demands and pressures and how this can feel emotionally overpowering at times, particularly during your peri menopause & post menopause too.
Together, we can explore the impact of your fluctuating hormones on your thoughts, feelings, emotions & behaviours.
I can help you make sense of your menopausal symptoms so that you are able to feel less stressed, manage your anxiety & overwhelm, feel you can cope better, sleep better, rebuild your confidence & reclaim your identity, so you can re-connect with your strong resilient self.
I can support you with a ‘toolkit’ of strategies to manage your menopause symptoms & cope with difficult feelings, emotions & anxieties, helping you to better navigate this time of psychological & physical change. And provide time & space too, to consider who you’d liked to be post your menopause.
I can help you to rediscover yourself & ‘thrive’ in midlife. Embracing this different chapter in your life.
Get in touch with me: https://clarity-kent.co.uk/get-in-touch/ for a short informal free chat to see how I can best support you with your peri and/or menopause symptoms, issues & challenges.
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