Menopause wreaks havoc with your sleep. Like you didn’t already know, right?

Most women in midlife are all too familiar with the rocky relationship between menopause and sleep. But if you’re in your late 30s, 40s or even early 50s – and not yet post-menopausal, you might not have noticed your sleep quality has been quietly slipping away.

This stage of life os known as perimenopause, when hormone levels begin to shift. The changes are often subtle and gradual – until suddenly they’re not. One day you wake up and realise you’re not as energised or clear-headed as you used to be. Could poor sleep be the culprit?

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Are you making mistakes at work? Maybe you are slower, not as sharp and with noticing little errors creeping in?
Do you feel annoyed more often? Perhaps sharp or grumpy with outbursts at times?
Do you need an alarm clock to wake you up in the morning? And do you need to put it on snooze for that extra 10 minutes when it does go off?
How do you feel when you wake up? Groggy, struggling to get out of bed?
How quickly do you fall asleep? Is it instant, or do you stare at the ceiling for what seems like forever?
How much do you sleep when you are on holiday? Do you sleep in every day, or do you reach a point where you wake up early without an alarm clock?

Does anything sound familiar? If so, then you are simply not getting enough quality sleep. And you’re discovering the potential challenges of menopause and sleep.

Menopause and sleep: how much is enough?

The American National Sleep Foundation researched this and found that for adults aged 26-64yrs the optimum amount is 7-9 hours. In fact, research shows that if you only get six hours of quality sleep per night your mental performance is worse than if you had a blood alcohol level of 0.1%.

So that could explain the perpetual fatigue/fogginess you may be experiencing.

Menopause and sleep: changing hormone levels

If you are menopausal or perimenopausal, lack of sleep may be caused by your changing hormone levels. If it continues, the research shows that poor sleep has a cumulative effect leading to:

More viral and bacterial infections
Reduced attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning and problem solving
Impaired memory – memory consolidation happens during sleep
Lost sex drive – no surprise there – who feels like it when you are tired?
Aged skin – fine lines, saggy drooping and blotchy skin have been shown to accelerate from lack of sleep.
Increased belly fat due to changes in appetite hormones called ghrelin and leptin
Anxiety and depression – not surprising with all the above going on!
Hypertension (high blood pressure) – ditto
Stomach ulcers – double ditto
Cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic health issues.

Wow. As a result of reading this, you probably want to stop, curl up and go to sleep! The good news is that menopause and sleep can be improved.

5 Tips For Better Sleep During Menopause

1. Include magnesium in your diet

Magnesium is often called nature’s chill pill – an many women are deficient in it. While the recommended daily intake (RDI) is about 300mg per day, the average woman consumes just 200mg through diet alone.

Foods high in magnesium include:

Leafy greens like spinach and kale
Nuts and seeds
Avocados
Legumes
Dark chocolate (yes, really!)
And see below…

kelp
wheat bran
wheat germ
almonds
cashews
buckwheat
brazil nuts
dulse

filberts
millet
pecans
walnuts
rye
tofu
soy beans
brown rice

figs, dates
collard greens
shrimp
avocado
parsley
beans
barley
dandelion greens
garlic

If your diet doesn’t naturally include plenty of magnesium-rich foods, consider taking a high-quality magnesium supplement that provides at least 160mg of elemental magnesium.

Some women may need up to 400mg or more per day. Look for chelated forms like:

Magnesium citrate (good for constipation)
Magnesium glycinate (great for sleep)
Magensium taurate
Magnesium orotate
Magnesium ascorbate

Experts suggest these forms are better absorbed and gentler on the gut. Avoid less bioavailable types such as magnesium oxide, carbonate, sulfate or gluconate, which don’t absorbed well and may cause digestive discomfort.

Tip: If you’re sensitive, start low and go slow – higher doses of magnesium citrate, for instance, can cause loose stools in some people.

When to take it:

Take your magnesium supplement about 20 – 30 minutes before bed to support restful sleep.

⚠️ Important: If you have kidney issues or severe heart disease, only take magnesium under medical supervision.

2. Take a hot bath before bed

A warm bath can work wonders for your nervous system – especially when it includes Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate), which allow magnesium to absorb through your skin.

Add a few drops of lavender essential oil for an extra calming effect. Lavender is known to relax the mind, reduce anxiety and help prepare your body for sleep.

Soak for 15-20 minutes, let the tension melt away, and then head straight to bed. Bliss!

3. Create a calming night-time routine

Just like children thrive on bedtime routines, so do we – especially during menopause when sleep can be elusive.

A calming wind-down ritual prepares both body and mind for restful sleep.

💤 Here are a few simple habits to help you transition to bedtime:

Avoid work or stress-inducing activities before bed – including emails or reading anything work-related. Your mind needs time to detach.
Play gentle, relaxing music to signal to your brain that it’s time to slow down.
Keep your bedroom comfortable – not too hot, not too cold – and make sure there’s good airflow.
Choose a light and soothing activity to finish your day. Some people read fiction or poetry, others meditate, stretch, or play calming games. I have discovered the crossword app “Words with Friends”” and play that for 5-10 minutes before switching off the music and the light. Whatever you choose to do, enjoy that moment to take your mind off matters.
Drift into sleep with a peaceful mental image. When you switch off your light, have a peaceful place that you remember as a place for your mind to go to. I remember an isolated beach in Abel Tasman National Park that I once lay on as the water lapped up on the sand nearby.

When thoughts wander to your ‘stressors’, gently go back to your happy place.

4. Have a restlessness plan

Often poor sleep shows as restlessness after lying for a while, or later waking up in the night and not returning to sleep. I used to wake up and immediately my mind was on my worries, which fired up the alarm centre of the brain, the amygdala, firing adrenalin into my system – goodbye sleep!

For this reason, a pre-prepared plan of what to do in this situation can be helpful. Because when you are half asleep the mind cannot think of a rational action plan. Do it in advance and even write it down and have it by the bed.

The first thing to do if you are still restless after 15 minutes, is to get up out of bed. Yes, physically get up. It’s no good tossing and turning and willing sleep to come. You need to break that thought pattern, and disrupt those awakening hormones. Attend to your physical needs first;

Go to the toilet
Make a warm milk drink
Check your temperature and ensure the air is fresh in the bedroom
Go back to bed with your warm drink, sit and sip while breathing slowly and deeply
Read a light and positive book, or do your Sudoku, crossword or activity, perhaps with the quiet music playing in the background
Finally, lie on your side, focus on your breathing, go back to your happy place – and drift off to sleep

Menopause and sleep can be a challenge. But as a result of this practice the routine will become a habit so the mind recognises a cue to sleep. And we trust that deep restful sleep will become the norm for you with amazing benefits.

We included affron® (saffron) in Merry Peri® and Perky Post® to support sleep quality, restorative sleep, insomnia, alertness on awakening and mood. It’s a beautiful add-on to your peri:menopause toolkit. Get yours below, sweet dreams!,