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Every night I toss and turn.
When I wake up I feel like I've been in a fight all night long.
I have aches and pains in my joints.
My moving around all night has forced me to sleep in the guest room because I keep my
hubby up all night too! What can I do, I'm at the end of my rope?
Joint aches and pains can do a real number on both
the quality and quantity of sleep. You probably feel like you went ten rounds with
the champ after a night's "sleep" .
Here are a few
suggestions:
- Exercise:
Regular daily exercise, preferably walking, no
later than 2 hours before bedtime. Yoga is also excellent.
- Calcium:
Some women find that taking some of their
calcium supplements or dietary calcium ( milk in cereal) helps with sleep. Calcium
acts with the nervous system as a calming agent.
- Stimulants:
Limit the amount of stimulants you take during
the day. As we age we become more sensitive to the effects of stimulants and their
effects last longer than when we were younger. Stimulants include: coffee,
tea, caffeinated sodas, chocolate, sugar, medications such as antihistamines.
- Bedtime hygiene:
- Use your bed for sleep and sex only- no reading in bed nor
TV watching.
- Once your brain equates the bed for sleeping this helps to
get to sleep.
- Go to sleep the same time each night and maintain a routine.
- Do quiet activities a couple of hours before you go to
sleep- reading, listening to music, watching comedy on TV- nothing disturbing like the
news, mysteries etc...
- Take a nice warm bubble bath a couple of hours before bed to
help relax your body for sleep.
- Get rid of any clocks or phones in your bedroom.
- If you must have a clock, then put it outside of your view-
this will only serve to make you more anxious as you try to go to sleep and start clicking
off the time.
- Put it under the bed in the closet anywhere but where you
can see it!
- Medication:
Taking non steroid anti inflammatory
medications like Motrin, Advil before bed helps with the aches and pains.
- Alcohol:
Even though alcohol is a depressant it is
still very disruptive to sleep- it screws up REM sleep ( the deep sleep). If you are
going to have a drink make sure it is a couple of hours before bedtime; no later.
- Midnight Snack:
Have snack a hour before going to sleep. It
should be one with a carbohydrate like toast, a bagel, muffin or cereal. Studies
have proven these foods to create sleepiness. Don't make it too large and limit
fluids to no later than a couple of hours before bed time. You don't want to be
getting up from sleep to go to the bathroom.
- Stress Busters:
Many time the activities you do during the day will affect
your sleeping. Try to keep stress down- I know this is a tough one to do. Meditation and
relaxation techniques help a great deal.
Sleep disturbances and perimenopause
Sleeping disturbances are extraordinarily common during perimenopause. Studies
have shown that women over the age of forty have more sleep troubles than their younger
counterparts. Look at the television commercial for sleeping aides. They are geared
towards women who are thirty five years old and beyond.
Meet the Author
"Menopause Made Easy"
by Dr.
Carolle Jean-Marat, MD
hosted by Sue Spataro
 Interview & FREE Excerpt
  Today's woman must
educate herself about menopause and the risks and rewards of taking HRT, nutritional
supplements, and homeopathic therapies. With humor, candor, and plain non-technical
language, Dr. Jean-Murat discusses the current needs and concerns of midlife women,
empowering us to make the right decisions. In our interview, she discusses Selecting over the counter
products, Black
Cohosh, and Racial
Differences & Menopause and also features a FREE excerpt from her book, Stress and Depression.
If you have any questions, you can ask them on our HotFlash support group. |
 
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