Menopause & Insomnia. Your Questions Answered by Internal Specialist, Dr. Mera

Some women report sleep disturbances (insomnia) around the time of menopause, and women and their healthcare providers sometimes attribute sleep disturbances to menopause symptoms. However, there are many reasons for sleep disturbances besides menopausal night sweats (simply, hot flashes at night). Your sleep disturbances may be caused by factors that affect many women beginning at midlife, such as sleep-disordered breathing (known as sleep apnea), restless legs syndrome, stress, anxiety, depression, painful chronic illnesses, and even some medications. Any treatment should first focus on improving your sleep routine—use regular hours to sleep each night, avoid getting too warm while sleeping, avoid stimulants such as caffeine and dark chocolate. When lifestyle changes fail to alleviate sleep disturbances, your clinician may want to refer you to a sleep center to rule out sleep-related disorders before initiating prescription treatment. If your sleep disturbance is related solely to hot flashes, hormone therapy is likely to help.