Insomnia during menopause: how to fight, alternative remedies, herbs, preparations

Everyone knows that for a good well-being, a person needs a good night's rest - at least 7-8 hours. Only after a good sleep, we can feel cheerful in the morning and keep working throughout the day. But how to be, if insomnia with menopause does not allow to fully relax?

Indeed, sleep disorders are considered one of the main manifestations of menopause in a woman's life. You can talk about insomnia even when a woman can not sleep for half an hour, or often wakes up during the night. Of course, the body does not rest in such conditions. And in order to correct the situation, it is necessary to take appropriate measures, of which we will talk.

[1], [2]

Causes of the insomnia with menopause

It is clear that the true cause of insomnia in menopause is the very onset of menopause. However, why do not all women suffer from insomnia, but only a few? The fact is that to aggravate insomnia may some life circumstances and factors, which include:

• mental, physical and emotional overload;
• overeating, drinking coffee and strong tea (especially in the second half of the day);
• instability of the psyche, neurosis, depression;
• taking certain drugs that excite the nervous system;
• sedentary lifestyle, overweight;
• smoking, drinking;
• chronic diseases;
• emotional lability.

Strengthen sleep disturbances - insomnia with menopause - can stay for a long time at the computer monitor, see emotional films and programs before going to bed, reading newspapers.

Pathogenesis

Insomnia with menopause is the result of several factors.

The first factor is an abrupt change in the number of sex hormones in the blood. The most important hormones in this case are estradiol and progesterone, the lowering of their level has a direct effect on the state of the nervous system.

The second factor is estrogen insufficiency, which results in attacks of nocturnal "tides", increased sweating, and increased heart rate. All these signs initially do not allow a woman to have a normal rest.

The next pathogenetic factor is the psychological problems associated with the onset of the natural aging of a woman. At this stage of life, many become depressed, become whiny and restless. Increasing stress contributes to the fact that women are visited by gloomy thoughts, there is a sense of anxiety and apathy. Sleeping in this state becomes even more difficult.

Insomnia with menopause can worsen if a woman suffers from excess weight, moves little, consumes coffee, strong tea or alcoholic drinks, smokes.

[3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9]

Symptoms of the insomnia with menopause

In fact, the first signs of insomnia in menopause are obvious - these are difficulties with falling asleep, frequent awakenings or the inability to fall asleep again after awakening.

However, the symptoms may vary, depending on the particular organism.

Sometimes women claim to fall asleep normally. But when they fall asleep, they immediately wake up.

Sometimes there is a so-called "unproductive" dream: a woman normally falls asleep and sleeps normally, but the next morning feels sleepy.

But the most frequent complaints are long and repeated attempts to fall asleep, which are absolutely unsuccessful. The woman tosss and turns around, she is visited by all sorts of thoughts, she can be disturbed by usual house sounds: the ticking of the clock, the gurgling of the aquarium, the noise of cars outside the window - sounds that were not previously felt at all, or were not perceived so sharply.

If the listed signs are observed only occasionally, then it's too early to talk about insomnia in menopause. But if a sleep disorder becomes a frequent occurrence, then it is necessary to take measures and consult a doctor.

[10], [11]

Complications and consequences

Insomnia with menopause should not be perceived as something mandatory and inevitable. Insomnia should be treated, as otherwise there is a gradual depletion of the nervous system, weakening of immunity, deterioration of the quality of the heart and vessels.

With prolonged sleep disturbances, the concentration of attention is weakened in the person, memory processes and efficiency are deteriorating, orientation is lost.

Lack of sleep leads to neuroses, irritability, which further exacerbates the already existing depression. As a result, there are often problems in relationships with family and friends.

The long-term complications that can manifest themselves, months and even years later, may be a great danger. This is a growing burden on the cardiovascular system, which can subsequently cause heart attacks, hypertension, and cerebral blood flow disorders. In addition, from insomnia with climax, the endocrine system suffers, which can eventually lead to the appearance of excess weight and even the development of diabetes.

[12], [13], [14]

Diagnostics of the insomnia with menopause

Climax is a physiological period in a woman's life, and it would seem that diagnostics are not needed here. However, this is not the case: diagnostic procedures are simply necessary: first of all, in order not to miss the serious diseases that hide behind the mask of menopause, and also to determine the scheme of treatment of climacteric symptoms.

What should be examined to determine the tactics of treating insomnia with menopause?

• Blood tests for the content of sex hormones (primarily - estradiol, FSH and LH, sometimes AMG), blood biochemistry with an assessment of coagulation factors, sugar and cholesterol.
• Instrumental diagnostics: ultrasound examination of the uterus, ovaries, mammary glands; electrocardiography, angiography, bacterial culture from the walls of the vagina, cytology of the smear from the cervix.

Most often, the diagnosis of insomnia during menopause does not cause difficulties, but it may be necessary to consult narrowly specialized specialists for conducting differential diagnostics with a different somatic pathology.

[15], [16]

Differential diagnosis

Differential diagnosis in most cases is carried out with nervous insomnia, with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Treatment of the insomnia with menopause

Considering the fact that the root cause of insomnia with menopause is a change in the hormonal level, hormone replacement hormone treatment with estrogen drugs will affect both overall well-being and quality of night rest.

If hormone treatment is not used for some reason, the doctor may resort to the appointment of barbiturates, or strong enough sedative tablets or drops that reduce the excitability of the nervous system and help normalize sleep. In addition, homoeopathic treatment is very effective: such preparations are well perceived by the body, and the effect is manifested quickly and fixed for a long time.

The most important thing is not to ignore insomnia and always visit a doctor as soon as possible. Any medicines for menopause - and, especially, hormonal drugs - should be prescribed only by a doctor, since self-treatment can be very harmful to health.

Medications

• Hormonal drugs for the elimination of insomnia with menopause:
  • Estriol - replenishes the deficiency of endogenous estriol;
  • Divigel - a preparation of estrogens for substitution treatment;
  • Proginova - contains a synthetic analogue of endogenous human estradiol;
  • Climara is a hormonal agent in the form of a transdermal system with a slow release of estrogen.

Hormone drugs and their dosage are prescribed only by a doctor. Independent hormonal treatment is unacceptable.

• Sedatives, tranquilizers:
  • Atarax - a remedy based on hydroxyzine, eliminates anxiety and internal tension;
  • Phenazepam - calms the nervous system, relaxes;
  • Adaptol is an anxiolytic drug with a moderate tranquilizing effect;
  • Seduxen - a tranquilizer, a benzodiazepine derivative, has a muscle relaxant, sedative and anticonvulsant effect.
• Herbal remedies for insomnia with menopause:
  • Antistress capsules containing valerian, hop, melissa, motherwort;
  • motherwort tincture
  • Dormiplant - tablets based on dry extract of valerian and lemon balm;
  • Sedavit - capsules or drops, consisting of extracts of valerian root, St. John's wort, hawthorn berries, mint leaves, hops and vitamins;
  • Sedistress - tablets based on passionflower extract.

Alternative treatment

Among the alternative recipes for improving sleep during menopause often use decoctions of soothing plants. It can be valerian roots, herbage motherwort, mint leaves or lemon balm, thyme. For those who do not have time to brew and insist herbs, pharmacies have a wide selection of tinctures and other preparations based on these plants.

One of the most simple and useful methods for eliminating insomnia is brewing herbal tea. For example, if you brew half a tablespoon of dried mint leaves in 200 ml of boiling water and insist 15 minutes, you can get a good soothing drink. Drink it is recommended in the second half of the day to prepare the body for a quality sleep.

There is another old recipe - it's melted milk with the addition of honey. A glass of warm drink should be drunk just before sleep.

Adjust to sleep will help essential oils. So, the smell of lavender or mint helps to relax the body: the oil can be added to a warm bath or to the aroma lamp.

[17], [18], [19], [20],

Herbal Treatment

To facilitate falling asleep, it is recommended to prepare phyto-tea, which can consist of one or several medicinal components:

• berries of hawthorn;
• grass motherwort;
• leaves of thyme, lemon balm, mint;
• rhizomes of valerian;
• grass shepherd's bags.

In addition, with insomnia with menopause, you can pay attention to the following alternative recipes:

• Brew 200 ml of boiling water 1 tbsp. L. The color of chamomile and take half a cup before meals three times a day.
• Insist on alcohol for three days 3 tbsp. L. Herbs of rosemary (you need 200 ml of alcohol). Infusion to filter and drink 25 drops. Before meals every day.
• Brew 1 tsp. Crushed burdock leaf in 0.5 liters of boiling water, insist until completely cooled. Drink infusion of 100 ml 4 times a day for a month. After a 2-week break, the course can be repeated.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is not harmful to the body and does not cause the addictive effect. Homeopathy normalizes brain activity, balances all internal processes, falling asleep gently and quickly.

With insomnia in menopause, you can take the following drugs, which act in a complex way, affecting, among other things, the root cause of sleep disorders:

• Valerianahel is administered thrice a day for 15-20 drops.
• Climadinone take 1 tab. Morning and evening, for three months.
• Tsi-klime take 1 tablet 2 times a day with food, for half a year.
• Climacoplane appoint 1-2 tablets three times a day for half an hour before meals, dissolving in the mouth.

In addition, monopreparations can also be used:

• Koffea - improves sleep, eliminates anxious thoughts;
• Chilibukha - balances the nervous system, eliminates irritability;
• Arsenicum - eliminates unnecessary anxiety;
• Ignacy - removes the effects of stress, speeds up falling asleep.

Which of the drugs for insomnia with menopause is right for you, the doctor will tell.

Operative treatment

As a rule, surgical treatment for getting rid of insomnia with menopause is not practiced.

Prevention

To prevent the emergence of insomnia with menopause, you need to make some adjustments to the lifestyle:

• maintain physical activity, regularly do exercises, ride a bicycle, swim and just walk in the fresh air;
• take a short walk just before bedtime;
• to qualitatively eat, avoiding fatty and spicy dishes, a lot of sugar and salt, coffee and other stimulating drinks;
• maintain comfortable conditions for night rest, choosing comfortable underwear, providing a normal air temperature and humidification in the room;
• set the mode of the day, where the approximate hours of rest will be determined: it is no secret that the human body "gets used" to get up and go to bed at the same time, which can serve as additional prevention of insomnia.

To facilitate falling asleep in the evening, you can spend relaxing procedures - for example, take a bath with warm water, ask relatives to do a light massage, listen to easy pleasant music.

[21], [22], [23], [24]

Forecast

Insomnia with menopause can persist for several years, but over time, the woman becomes more and more. Only a small number of women do not get enough sleep for a long time. In such patients, the condition is successfully corrected medically.

[25], [26]