Natural Sleeping Aids

Hot Flashes/Night Sweats

Bringing extra blood to the skin’s surface is the normal way a human body reacts to cause cooling when body temperature rises. But with perimenopause and menopause, this may happen so profusely that a woman can wake up many times during the night, drenched in sweat. She may feel the annoying sensations of her pulse racing and heart beating rapidly.

According to NAMS, hot flashes that occur with drenching perspiration while sleeping are called night sweats. While these events may not be strong enough to cause someone to wake up, the falling estrogen levels alone can disrupt patterns of healthy deep sleep. In its popular and practical Menopause Guidebook, NAMS reports, “While it is a myth that menopause itself makes a woman irritable, inadequate sleep causes fatigue, which may lead to irritability.”

One sleep study demonstrated that physiologic measurements of sleep disturbances coincided with the occurrence of hot flashes and night sweats. The sleep disturbances experienced because of hot flashes can cause sleep deprivation, which shows up the next day as nervousness, irritability, and daytime tiredness.

Two areas of the brain, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, regulate the amount of circulating estrogen. Estrogen levels are also thought to be under the influence of parts of the brain that control moods and circadian rhythms, and are susceptible to “triggers” such as certain foods, cigarette smoking, and psychological stress. Women who have a previous history of issues with stress and emotions may have more difficulty adjusting to hot flashes and other changes that come with menopause. This may explain why some women hardly notice the coming and going of menopause, while others acutely feel its effects.

What to Do about Night Sweats

NAMS recommends that women:

• Avoid “triggers” such as external heat (e.g., a warm room or use of a hair dryer), hot drinks, hot or spicy foods, alcohol, and caffeine.
• Be aware that some drugs prescribed for cancer chemotherapy such as tamoxifen (Nolvadex) and for prevention or treatment of osteoporosis, raloxifene (Evista), can cause hot flashes.
• Keep cool by dressing in layers, which can be removed as needed.
• Keep cool by sleeping in a cool room and using a fan.
• Reduce stress by using meditation, yoga, biofeedback, visualization, massage, or by taking a leisurely bath.
• Try paced respiration (deep, slow abdominal breathing) when a hot flash is starting during the day or upon awakening from a night sweat.
• Exercise regularly to reduce stress and promote better, more restorative sleep.

OUTWITTING INSOMNIA, ELLEN MOHR CATALANO

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