Are you suffering with sleep issues since hitting menopause?
Are you struggling to get to sleep, waking randomly through the night, or waking early hours and unable to get back to sleep?
If so, it could be your hormones!
And you probably know that when you don’t sleep well, it is much harder to stick to a healthier lifestyle and exercise programme.
Research shows that when we sleep badly we crave sweets, coffee, salt, and fatty junk foods.
It will come as no surprise that sleep deprivation causes havoc to our hormones. Not only can it cause our cortisol (stress hormones) and blood pressure to rise, but it also impairs our ability to regulate blood sugar levels. The hormone leptin (that makes us feel full and satisfied after meals) is decreased and ghrelin (the hormone that stimulates hunger) is increased.
If you are waking between 1 am and 4 am, this could indicate low blood sugar.
Low blood sugar levels during the night are considered an internal stressor, so your body activates your fight or flight response by releasing cortisol to wake you up so that it can access glucose stores in your liver to fuel your brain and other organs.
If this is describing your sleep pattern, then I recommend a small snack just before bed, to help sustain night-time blood sugar reserves. Small amounts of slow-burning foods before bed may help keep blood sugar levels stable through the night, which could pave the way to a lovely slumber.
It should also be noted that you may sleep better if you support your blood sugar levels during the day too.
To help support night-time blood sugar crashes you could have a small snack of an oatcake and nut butter.
Head over to my website to download my ‘5 top tips to support sleep during menopause’.
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