Natural Sleeping Aids

Sleeping aids for hot flashes and menopause

Written by clive on 10:46 PM

Hot flashes are the bane of 75 percent of menopausal women – those who have them are awakened as often as every eight minutes throughout the night. That’s why signs traditionally attributed to psychological problems associated with menopause like depression, fatigue, and mood swings may actually be the consequence of poor sleep.

Hot flashes are associated with reduced estrogen production and the way the body regulates temperature. Suzanne Woodward, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, says that estrogen therapy, which reduces the occurrence of hot flashes, can help women get a better night’s sleep. But besides estrogen therapy there are no medical therapies known to stop the hot flashes and improve sleep.

Sleeping pills are not recommended for women who awake because of hot flashes. The pills may work for a night or two, but then your body needs more and more to keep up the sleep-producing effects. So in the end you’re not doing yourself any good.

Dr. Woodward advises women to try to deal with this temporary sleep disturber by resting and keeping cool. You might try taking twenty-minute power naps during the day if possible. At night, try to keep your body temperature cool: wear cotton underwear that absorbs perspiration; put ice water and a fan by the bed; do some deep breathing exercises to relax; most of all try not to worry (which keeps you awake even longer). As annoying as hot flashes may be, remember that menopause is a temporary condition.

A Gallup poll conducted for the National Sleep Foundation in 1995 found that women are more likely than men to say they have sleeping difficulties (52 vs. 45 percent). This information on the effects of hormonal changes on sleep explains why.

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