Supervised by a doctor│Menopausal insomnia and midway awakening causes and countermeasures!

Insomnia is one of the common symptoms of menopause.

During menopause, the rapid decrease in female hormones can cause various symptoms in the body of a woman.

Insomnia is one of the common symptoms of menopause . Insomnia manifests differently from person to person, and may include:

• Even after going to bed at night, it is difficult to fall asleep
• i wake up in the middle of the night
• I wake up early in the morning
• light sleep
• You don’t feel like you’ve had a good night’s sleep and you can’t wake up refreshed
• get sleepy during the day
• Even if I want to sleep more, I can’t fall asleep when I wake up
• Even though I slept enough, I can’t get rid of my fatigue, etc.

Menopause is said to be more common in women, but it can also occur in men, and “male menopause” caused by a decrease in testosterone, a male hormone, can cause insomnia.

Women’s “sleep” changes with life stages

Women undergo major hormonal changes during life stages such as menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth, and menopause. It is said that sleep is also susceptible to this change.

Premenstrual syndrome, which causes physical and mental discomfort before menstruation, is a symptom that many women experience, but sleep is also a common problem.

Daytime sleepiness is likely to occur before menstruation, daytime sleepiness and insomnia during pregnancy, and sleep deprivation after childbirth because life is centered on childcare. And when you reach menopause, sleep becomes shallow, which leads to insomnia.

Generally, insomnia symptoms become more frequent in both men and women as they age, but they are especially common in postmenopausal women.

It is more important not to get sleepy during the day than sleep time

When you reach your 50s, you may think, “I wish I could have slept more when I was younger . Even in healthy people, waking up in the middle of the night and waking up early in the morning increases with age.

Although it is said that the ideal sleep time is 6 to 8 hours, there are individual differences in sleep time. Some people wake up feeling refreshed after a short sleep, while others need about 10 hours of sleep before feeling refreshed.

Insomnia is not just the inability to fall asleep, but the inability to fall asleep causes sleepiness during the day and other problems. The average sleep time for Japanese people is about 7 hours, but it is not always necessary to sleep for more than 7 hours, and there is a sleep time that suits you.

Even if you sleep less than average, there is no problem as long as you wake up refreshed and do not interfere with your daily life, so it is important not to get too hung up on how often you wake up or how long you sleep.

4 types of insomnia

Insomnia is a disease in which disorders such as sleep onset, middle awakening, early morning awakening, deep sleep disturbance, etc. continue for more than one month, and various disorders appear during the day.

There are four types of insomnia:

• Difficulty falling asleep … Difficulty falling asleep even after getting into the futon
• Awakening in the middle of the night: After falling asleep, you wake up many times before you wake up the next morning
• Early morning awakening: Waking up two hours or more earlier than the wake-up time and unable to sleep again
• Insomnia: I get enough sleep, but I don’t feel like I’m getting a good night’s sleep

Causes of insomnia during menopause

During menopause, estrogen, the female hormone, drops sharply, and this can lead to physical and mental disorders such as hot flashes, irritability, anxiety, and sweating.

Some of these symptoms can lead to insomnia . Here are some of the causes of insomnia during menopause.

Vasomotor symptoms such as sweating and hot flashes

Vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and sweating are typical symptoms of menopause. I suddenly can’t stop sweating, and my face gets hot.

This is a symptom caused by the inability to control the contraction and dilation of blood vessels due to the inability to regulate the autonomic nerves. Hot flashes and sweating at night can interfere with sleep.

Anxiety, depression, and depression

Anxiety and depression can also be seen as symptoms of menopause. In addition, it is said that the number of people suffering from depression is increasing in recent years, and insomnia is often seen in mental illnesses such as depression.

Early awakening (a sleep disorder in which you wake up early and are unable to fall asleep again) and circadian fluctuations (feeling unwell in the morning but recovering from afternoon to night) If you can see both, it may be more than just insomnia, so let’s consult a hospital early.

Serious people and nervous people tend to be more prone to insomnia because they are more likely to feel stress.

sleep disordered breathing

Sleep apnea can also interfere with your sleep. Sleep apnea is a disorder in which breathing stops and resumes repeatedly during sleep.

Because there is a state of apnea, there is a lack of oxygen, which puts a burden on the body and causes various diseases. After menopause, the risk of sleep apnea increases.

Symptoms include breathlessness, snoring, daytime sleepiness, and other symptoms such as sleeplessness, fatigue, anxiety, irritability, depression, nightmares, headaches, and heart palpitations.

It can be mistaken for depression, insomnia, or anemia, so it’s a disease that needs to be seen by a specialist.

restless leg syndrome

Restless legs syndrome, also known as restless legs syndrome, is a restless, itchy, painful, or unpleasant sensation that occurs primarily in the legs while sitting or lying down.

Symptoms appear mainly in the evening and at night, and cause insomnia because the discomfort in the legs makes it difficult to stay still.

drugs or stimulants

Some medications can also affect insomnia. Thyroid preparations, antihypertensives, anticancer drugs, etc. may interfere with sleep.

Caffeine and nicotine also have a stimulating effect, so coffee, tea, and tobacco can reduce the quality of sleep and interfere with restful sleep. Caffeine is also a diuretic, which can lead to frequent trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

aging

Aging itself can be a contributing factor to insomnia. As people age, their physical strength declines, and sleep time decreases, and the quality of sleep declines, which can lead to insomnia.

These symptoms are not a disease, and even healthy people can have light sleep.

fatigue

We tend to think that we can sleep well when we feel tired from work, but in reality, excessive fatigue is one of the causes of insomnia. This is because the brain switch is not switched well and it is always in work mode.

Menopausal Insomnia Coping and Treatment

There are many ways to treat and treat menopausal insomnia. It is best to start with simple remedies that can be implemented immediately.

However, if your insomnia still does not improve, if you are still feeling distressed, or if you cannot sleep at all, or if your inability to sleep is interfering with your daily life, consult a specialist as soon as possible. It is important to

orderly life

If you can’t sleep at night or feel the symptoms of insomnia, it’s important to keep a regular life in mind. Set the same time to go to bed and wake up in order to maintain a regular circadian rhythm.

If you’re having trouble falling asleep, don’t worry about going to bed, but wake up at the same time. Getting up in the morning and getting some sunshine helps reset your body clock, which helps improve and improve the quality of your sleep.

For those who have trouble falling asleep, it will be easier to fall asleep if you adjust the environment such as lighting, temperature, and sound in the bedroom.

avoid stimulants

Avoiding stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco before going to bed can also improve sleep quality. Avoid these stimulants and try to relax.

No naps or no more than 30 minutes

Many people who experience menopausal insomnia take naps because they cannot sleep at night. However, long naps or late afternoon naps can make it difficult to fall asleep at night.

Do not take a nap, or if you do, take it before 16:00 and limit naps to 30 minutes or less.

Make your day life comfortable

If you spend your daily life free from stress during the day and try to live a comfortable life, your brain will be easier to switch and you will be able to sleep at night.

Treatment of menopausal disorder and menopausal symptoms

There are several types of insomnia, and the measures differ depending on the cause of insomnia.

If insomnia is caused by menopause, treatment for menopausal disorders and menopausal symptoms can be expected to alleviate symptoms.

Menopausal disorders and menopausal symptoms can be treated and managed by:

• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
• herbal medicine
• psychotropic drug
• supplement

Natural herbal remedies used to improve menopausal symptoms are selected from herbal remedies that include herbal remedies with calming, sedative and anti-stress properties.

In addition, you can expect effects such as adjusting the autonomic nerves by improving blood flow. In addition to the herbal medicines prescribed at hospitals, there are also products such as Inochi no Haha and Rubina that can be purchased at drugstores. Small packages for several days are also available on the market.

The following herbal medicines are recommended for insomnia during menopause.

• Kamikihito : Suitable for those with anorexia and anemia who have no anxiety, palpitations, or deep sleep, and those who wake up many times in the middle of the night. It is often used for insomnia during menopause.
• Kamishoyosan : Recommended for those who have irritability, hot flashes, stiff shoulders, and light sleepers.
• Yokukansankachinpihange (Yokukansankachinpihange) : Recommended for people who are irritable and angry and have trouble falling asleep.

There are also other herbal remedies that are used. For those who are unsure about what to choose for themselves, there are services such as ” Anshin Kampo ” where you can consult about your constitution and symptoms online for free, and then choose.

Drug therapy with sleeping pills

Currently, insomnia treatment is mainly drug therapy using sleeping pills (sleeping agents).

When it comes to sleeping pills, some people may have the image that “If you start taking sleeping pills, you won’t be able to sleep without sleeping pills, or will you take more medicine?” There is none.

The sleeping pills that were used in the past were very effective, and there were concerns about side effects, but recent sleeping pills lead to sleep by relieving tension, excitement, and anxiety. It is easy to use.

However, sleeping pills must be used correctly under the guidance of a doctor. Drugstores sell sleep-improving drugs, but it is said that people with insomnia should not take them.

The ingredient contained in sleep improvement medicines sold at drugstores is “diphenhydramine hydrochloride”, an antihistamine that is effective in suppressing allergy symptoms. Diphenhydramine hydrochloride has a side effect that causes drowsiness, and drugs that use this side effect are sleep-improving drugs.

Diphenhydramine hydrochloride is not originally an ingredient that works for insomnia. If you can’t sleep temporarily, you may try using a sleeping aid, but if the symptoms don’t improve or if insomnia continues for a long time, you need to see a hospital.

Insomnia treatment is provided by psychosomatic medicine and psychiatry, but if it is difficult to visit, it is a good idea to consult with your family doctor first. Just seeing a doctor and telling your doctor about your insomnia may help ease your fear of insomnia.