The Wellness Architect

My menopause gets me up at 3am like clockwork

What’s up with 3 AM for so many women in menopause?

It’s a thing… we are up, strangely all at generally the same, time almost. every. night.

What gives?

Broken sleep is common among menopausal women and can be caused my multiple things, mainly hot flashes and night sweats.

But why 3 am almost like clockwork?

Three am is typically the time of night when your cortisol levels naturally begins to rise causing disrupted sleep and the accompanying thoughts of doom and gloom. Life doesn’t feel doable at 3 am for many of us. Including me.

Three in the morning is when I won’t be able to pay my bills, I regret most decisions I’ve made and feel like selling all my possessions and moving to a different country sounds like it just might fix all my woes. I’m overwhelmed and am in general a horrible person.

Is there truth to any of that? Nope! Because when morning comes and I get my workout in and my day started I feel like I can conquer anything again.

So what helps?

There are a lot of things you can try, though nothing works magic for everyone. Be patient as some symptom relievers take up to 4 weeks to see real results.

Magnesium taken before bedtime can help calm nerves and settle restlessness.

Some herbal supplements can help with sleep.

Elevated temperatures can trigger and exacerbate hot flashes and night sweats. Sleeping in a cooler room can make a significant difference. Mid 60 degrees is a good place to start.

Nourish your body with foods that won’t exacerbate hot flashes, like spicy foods, sugar, alcohol or foods that have additives which are known to disrupt hormones, such as BHA.

Environmental toxins such as fragrances and BPA’s from plastic can also disrupt hormone balance.

Get your hormones checked and if nothing is working, talk to your physician about possible menopause hormone therapy.

Be educated on sleeping pills. Some will help you fall asleep but don’t allow for deep REM sleep. Deep sleep is when most of our regenerative processes take place.

Share what you’ve found that helps! The menopause tribe would love more tips!

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