What are our SLEEP DISRUPTORS?

If I asked you would you like better sleep, less exhaustion, more energy, would your answer be, yes?  Yoga and meditation may well be part of the solution.

Sleep is another significant area where changing hormones create a new set of circumstances where we need to adapt. It’s essential for our brain health and can be seriously impacted in the perimenopausal transition. However, we need to consider not just the amount of sleep we are getting but also the quality of our sleep.

The good news is, there are a number of practical things we can do to help in this area:

1.       Establish a Sleep Routine – trying to wake up and go to bed at similar times

2.       Reduce blue light exposure in the evening as this light tricks our bodies into thinking its daytime

3.       Avoid caffeine late in the day as it can stay in the bloodstream for up to 8 hours

4.       Avoid alcohol before bed as this can reduce night time melatonin production, the key sleep hormone and lead to disrupted sleep

5.       Have a cool sleeping environment

6.       Try not to cancel activities the next day after a bad night as this can increase worry about sleep and have a negative impact on your sleep patterns.

Be aware you are going through a tough life phase, but a time will come when it will level out again. During the sleepless moments consider using a technique such as the WRA (What’s Right Attention). This is where you focus on something pleasant or at least neutral, upon which to place your attention. So, instead of waking and launching into struggle, tune into something simple like the softness of your sheets, the sounds of the birds etc.

For more top tips join me on my mat at my Menopause Informed Yoga Class on a Monday night.

Namaste 🙏