Women approaching middle age are often overwhelmed by the multiple ways that their bodies and emotions undergo change. These fluctuations are as confusing as they are exhausting, and they truly do permeate every facet of your daily life. One of the most common struggles faced by middle-aged women is trouble sleeping. In fact, the United States National Sleep Foundation has reported that women are far more likely to report daytime fatigue and difficulty sleeping at night than men. The process of aging is propelled by changing hormonal levels. These hormonal shifts can disrupt your sleep cycle and it can feel as if you have no control over the matter. What's more, a lack of sleep will trigger your body to cook up its own novel hormonal concoction. All in all, this can make for a highly disruptive cycle that impacts your holistic well-being and health.
How do Hormones Change for Midlife Women?
As you approach the middle of life, you may start to experience the initial symptoms of perimenopause or menopause. While this process can make you feel like you're losing your mind, it's an absolutely natural biological phenomenon that signals the end of your body's reproductive capabilities. Estrogen and progesterone are the primary hormones associated with the female body. During menopause, both hormones decline substantially. This imbalance will result in a number of symptoms ranging from hot flashes to emotional volatility. And of course, sleep disturbances. These physical and emotional symptoms may disrupt your circadian rhythm as overheating and intense anxiety can keep you awake at night. While there are a number of emotional and psychological factors at play during your midlife period, changes in estrogen and progesterone levels are the primary driver of poor sleep. Progesterone encourages feelings of calm and relaxation. This regulates your emotions as well as your ability to peacefully drift off at night. As you approach the middle of your life, progesterone levels will start to drop, which will result in a reduced quality of sleep. Estrogen plays a crucial role in regulating your wake-sleep cycle. This hormone ensures that your sleep is regular, deep, and rejuvenating, which ultimately promotes lower stress levels, thus minimizing your body's production of cortisol. When estrogen supplies dwindle as you approach the middle of your life, your sleep is likely to suffer.Which Other Hormones Affect Sleep?
The more one researches the mechanisms of sleep, the more fascinating and intricate it becomes. The process of sleep is supported by a delicate balance of hormones that our bodies produce on a daily basis. While declining estrogen and progesterone are most commonly associated with middle-aged women's inability to sleep well, there are many other hormones that have an effect too. Cortisol—commonly referred to as the 'stress hormone'—will gradually increase for both men and women as they transition into their thirties. This has profound implications for sleep and concurrently, overall wellness. When you're young, your cortisol levels will rise in the mornings to bolster your sense of energy and alertness. Cortisol should then steadily decrease throughout the day to allow for a relaxed evening of deep sleep. All of this goes out the window as you approach the middle of your life. Cortisol levels remain steadily elevated throughout the day for individuals older than their mid-thirties. This hinders your ability to both fall and stay asleep because, on a hormonal level, your body is constantly receiving stress signals. Melatonin is another hormone that plays a central role in the regulation of sleep. This hormone declines as you age but it is known to be particularly low around your peri-menopausal stage which would be around the time that you are middle-aged. Exposure to light stimulates the release of melatonin which assists in minimizing the total time taken to fall asleep while maximizing the overall duration of sleep in an evening.What You Can Do
As always, maintaining your holistic health in a balanced and sustainable manner should remain your number one priority. This includes regular exercise and a balanced diet—both of which are excellent for improving your quality of sleep. It's highly recommended that you establish a calming bedtime routine that you can stick to on a daily basis. This trains your body to recognize when it is time to unwind, which should encourage restful sleep.If all the holistic health options are simply not enough, we highly recommend consulting a medical professional for further assistance. After a consultation, they may recommend that you start hormone replacement therapy (HRT). This treatment aims to relieve the symptoms of menopause by elevating depleted hormonal levels. At the end of the day, it's important to know that you are not alone. Women have experienced the frustrations of fluctuating hormones for centuries, and a recent study reveals that 63% of menopausal women suffer from drowsiness at work due to feeling overtired. However, with the correct information and advice from a trusted medical professional, you don't have to compromise on rest as you age. Categorized into General Health
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