Coping With Insomnia During Perimenopause

Perimenopause has detrimental affects on the sleep of many women. For some, it causes chronic insomnia. While there are no easy answers, here are a few approaches to try that may help deal with this aggravating symptom more effectively.

Hot flashes are one of the common causes of perimenopause-related insomnia. Many women fall asleep easily, only to be woken up in a sweat and with a pounding heart. Typically, they have difficulty getting back to sleep after one of these episodes. Black cohosh is an herb that has been used effectively by many women to remedy hot flashes. Estroven is an over-the-counter supplement that contains black cohosh among other things, and seems to help many women prevent hot flashes.

In addition to the hormonal challenges of perimenopause, anxiety and worry about the health effects of not getting enough sleep is also a common cause of sleeplessness. One of the worst parts of insomnia is an inability to fall back to sleep after waking up. Laying awake in bed can make things even worse as frustration sets in. It may help to do some online research about polyphasic sleep, which is a type of sleep cycling that involves a few hours of sleep during the night and then a series of 20 minute naps at various times of the day.

There are people who regularly sleep for 2 to 3 hours per night and then take two 20-minute naps during the day while maintaining their good health. This is comforting because it supports the notion that lost sleep can be compensated for in short naps. For any reader whose first thought was "I don't have time to nap during the day" after reading this, my suggestion is to try it for just one day. If it works for you, it will become self-reinforcing and you will find the time.

Another side effect of perimenopause is anxiety triggered by hormonal imbalance. Anxiety can make it difficult to relax enough to fall asleep. There are several remedies to try for anxiety, from herbal supplements and vitamins to natural, or bio-identical, hormones that help balance hormone levels. Progesterone is one hormone which is known to promote relaxation and sleep, and which also declines dramatically during perimenopause.

Hot flashes, anxiety and hormonal imbalances can make perimenopause a very difficult time for many women. The associated insomnia can turn bad into worse. Try some of the coping ideas suggested above to help you gain the upper hand during this phase of life.