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A compassionate approach to poor sleep during the perimenopause

Many women going through the perimenopause (or menopausal transition) experience disturbed sleep. It’s one, if not the, core symptom of this period. According to research, up to 60% of menopausal women suffer from poor sleep – which also has a knock-on effect on their family, work and social lives.

Adopting a compassionate attitude, i.e. taking a moment to respectfully observe yourself struggling with the aim to support yourself, can help to alleviate poor sleep and its daytime consequences.

From Climate Change to City Lights: How Environmental Factors Affect Your Sleep

How well do you sleep?
Chances are, you’ve experienced poor sleep — and not just once. That’s because sleep is influenced by a complex web of factors, from personal stress to environmental factors such as global climate change.

Sleep Equity for Global Health – World Sleep Day 2024

This year’s theme for World Sleep Day is Sleep Equity for Global Health. But what does it actually mean? In this short post I explain my take on it.

Your Future Self of Sleep

Sleep matters. And while we all know this on a deeper, felt level, many of us tend to ignore our need for healthy sleep. There will be different reasons for this depending on personality and circumstances. But I also wonder if this ignorance of sleep’s benefits for our health is because the harmful effects of not getting enough sleep aren’t always readily noticeable. In other words, sleep is ignored because the future self feels to abstract.

Social Jet lag – when social time wreaks havoc with your inner time

We all have an inner clock. It’s responsible for setting the circadian time of all the various processes and functions within the body. This inner clock takes its cue from the sun clock, the natural progression of the sun(light) over the course of the day.

Sleep Problems in Transgender People

Whatever the colour of your skin, or age, or sexual orientation, or your sex or gender – everyone needs a healthy sleep. Sleep is essential for our physical and mental health; it affects our desire to socialise and how we show up when around others. However, others can have an effect on sleep, minority stress, which is socially based, can have a detrimental effect on sleep of transgender people.

Does daytime napping protect the brain?

Previous studies have shown that napping helps to boost performance. According to a very recent study by Paz et al.¹ regularly taking a nap during the day can help to slow down the natural decline in brain volume and maintain brain health.

A compassionate approach to poor sleep during the perimenopause
Download my free White Paper Poor Sleep During the Perimenopause here. Learn more about how a compassionate attitude helps you to alleviate your struggle with poor sleep and its daytime consequences.
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Want to make sense of sleep?

I wrote Sleep Sense to share my fascination with sleep with all of you. To help you understand why sleep is important for every single one of us. My aim is to empower you to take steps that are right for you to sleep well.

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Somnia

2 weeks ago

10 things you can do to support your sleep!(Just pick 1 & you’ll be supporting your overall wellbeing!)I’m a Sleep Therapist and I’m not going to preach that you need to be doing all of these for you to be able to sleep well, but our relationships with sleep are multifaceted and depend on many many elements of our lifestyles, predispositions and choices.So, where you can, make choices which support your sleep, why not do it!(You know the benefits of quality sleep - and if you don’t, you absolutely need to explore my other posts!)1. Watch your coffee timesTry to stop consuming caffeine after midday. Coffee can linger in your system for 6–8 hours, so an afternoon cup might be keeping you awake later than you think.2. BluelightThere are two things here: Maximise your exposure in the morning and limit it in the evenings. Blue light at the wrong time can play havoc with your circadian rhythm, confusing your body’s natural sleep–wake cues.3. Morning routineTry to keep one you can realistically stick to and that you enjoy! Consistent wake times help regulate your body clock and support your energy through the day.4. Evening routineConsistency is key. Explore how you could make your morning and evening routines complement each other. Calming, predictable evening habits help your body-mind to wind down and understand that sleep is on its way.5. AcceptanceThis is a big one for me. Sometimes we struggle to let go of being awake and the most healthy and helpful thing we can do is accept it, not fight it. Fighting it only makes things worse; gentleness helps you drift off to sleep more easily.6. Bedroom environmentWhat’s your sleep space like? Is it chaotic or calm? Small changes like darker curtains, tidying clutter, or a softer lamp can make a world of difference.7. Regular movement throughout the dayRegular movement throughout the day tires you out so you’re physically ready for sleep but also helps your internal body clocks to stay regulated - while you’re moving your body knows it’s not time for sleep, and when you slow down, it’s clear that it is nearing time for sleep.✨Continued in the comments… ... See MoreSee Less

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