Dr. Tara Allmen is our residential menopause expert, and she’s back to give you a few quick tips on how to restore your sleep to a pre-menopausal state. Read more from Dr. Allmen on her blog.
Night sweats, the nocturnal cousin of hot flashes, are uncomfortable, disrupt your sleep and will be experienced by as many as 75% of perimenopausal and menopausal women.
What are Night Sweats?
Medically termed as “sleep hyperhidrosis,” night sweats aren’t actually a sleep disorder, but a common perspiration disorder that occurs during sleep in both perimenopause and menopause. These episodes of nighttime sweating can range in severity from mild to intense, and are caused by hormonal imbalances combined with environmental factors, such as an excessively warm sleeping environment.
The symptoms can drastically disturb sleep patterns, which means the next day you will be fatigued, irritable and moody. You may also experience brain fog which means you cannot focus or concentrate. The stress and exhaustion that comes from a poor night’s sleep will also contribute to a reduced libido.
Managing Night Sweats
The good news is that some of the environmental adjustments we discussed previously to assist with managing hot flashes will also improve night sweats like wearing light weight clothing, maintaining cooler room temperatures, cutting back on hot, spicy foods, alcohol and caffeine. You should also start exercising every day and making better nutritional choices. Losing some weight would improve sleep which would improve some of the symptoms that you are experiencing. Meditation, deep paced breathing, yoga and acupuncture can also be helpful. Drinking more water will also contribute to cooling down the body.
There really is nothing better than a good night’s sleep!
Dr. Tara Allmen
Dr. Tara Allmen is one of America’s leading experts in menopausal medicine. She is a Nationally Certified Menopause Practitioner and highly respected in the medical community. Inspired to reach millions of American women over the age of 40 with accurate scientific information that can help them, Dr. Allmen has appeared numerous times on local and national television, and created an extensive library of video information available on her website, www.drallmen.com. Dr. Allmen earned her bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Allmen lives in New York City with her husband, Lawrence M. Kimmel, their two children, and a small dog named Sadie. Credentials: - Board Certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist - National Certified Menopause Practitioner - Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - Dr. Oz Show Medical Advisory Board - CEO, The Allmen Foundation - Wife, Mother and Friend
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