Midlife Motivation

Please see links below to products available and organisations offering help and further information.

Lack of Sleep

Chronic insomniacs have to cope with a cycle of sleepless nights culminating in sleep deprivation leaving them exhausted, irritable, unable to concentrate, more accident prone and devoid of motivation to make any kind of effort.

Menopausal women are more prone to suffer from insomnia particularly with the onset of night sweats.

On a personal note, sleep still deludes me as I dabble in the list of things that I am supposed to do to get a good night's sleep, then manage to go all out hell bent on doing the opposite. There's no helping some of us.

My trouble is my bed times are getting earlier and earlier so if I chilled out in my nighty an hour before I went to bed I would be living in fear of my old dad calling round for company and nobbling me for being weak as water floating around in my dressing gown.

On the snack front, someone gave me a tip the other day which might work for you. They said if you must snack before bed try snacking on almonds, bananas, yogurt or peanut butter on a cracker. Well it's worth a try.

Susan Loveday - Editor

In this article you will find sections on the ►causes of insomnia  ►helpful solutions so that you can evaluate your lifestyle, and adjust things accordingly.  We have also included other useful Related Links at the foot of this page with useful advice from other sources.

Causes of Insomnia

• Night sweats
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Alcohol
• Overeating late
• menopausal hormonal fluctuations

Helpful Solutions

Of course there is no one answer for everyone so it is trial and error for the individual to experiment with a number of different solutions that may help them to regain a good pattern of sleep.

• Go all out to try and alleviate night sweats by cutting out alcohol and caffeine, smoking, spicy foods, and eating late. Keep your bedroom cool. Wear loose cotton night clothes. Keep a cool glass of water next to your bed. Consider hormone replacement therapy
• Allow yourself some quiet time an hour before sleep with some form of mild exercise such as walking or yoga
• Take a candle lit aromatherapy bath with essential oils before you slip into your night clothes
• Drink warm milk at bedtime
• Keep your bedroom at dark as possible (consider black-out curtains or blinds).
• Develop good overall sleeping habits including routine bed times
• Get into your night clothes up to half an hour before you get into bed
• Listen to soothing music
• Avoid phone calls, texts, TV and stressful discussions before bedtime
• Write down your troubles rather than ponder on them then you can put them to one side for tomorrow
• Stop looking at the clock during the night to check the time
• Think about the age of your bed and consider investing in a new one

Of course there is always the possibility that you are suffering from some other illness relating to insomnia or a nutritional deficiency in Vitamin D, Calcium or Magnesium, in either case you should consult your GP.

Tags: aromatherapy, insomnia, menopause, night sweats, relaxation, stress