Other common symptom of menopause is hot flashes and sweats. Of course, most women already understand that these symptoms are due to a hormonal change during menopause. Nevertheless, this probably will not make them feel any better whenever these symptoms occur at night or in the early hours of the morning because it can contribute to insomnia.
Before anyone can begin blaming it all upon hormones, it is necessary to have a complete medical workup done in order to find out if there are any other underlying causes of insomnia. If a doctor determines that insomnia is being caused by menopause, a woman should know that there are alternatives to hormone replacement therapy. Different studies give conflicting conclusions about the success of these therapies. It may take trying different therapy alternative before a woman can find one that works for her. Alternative therapy for menopause may prevent a woman from needing to begin hormonal replacement therapy. Hormonal replacement therapy may increase a woman’s risks of breast cancer. Some breast cancers are actually fed by the hormones, so a woman on hormone replacement therapy may find herself on a hormone suppressant if she develops breast cancer.
The following are some alternatives to hormone replacement therapy to deal with the menopausal symptom of insomnia:
· Keep the bedroom cool
· Take a warm bath before going to bed
· Engage in relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation before bed
· Listen to soft music while falling asleep
· Only use your bed for sleeping
· Accupuncture
· Mild aerobic exercise early in the evening
· Consume foods that are rich in tryptophan such as milk, bananas, figs, dates and tuna
· Avoid caffeine, sugar, and any other stimulants in late afternoon/early evening
· Take supplements that reduce menopausal symptoms
If symptoms are mild, a woman should try to ride it out, because eventually the hormone levels will eventually reach a balance. It is at this time that the problem with insomnia should sort itself out when insomnia is caused by menopause.
There are some women who have such severe menopause insomnia and other symptoms that hormonal therapy is worth the risks because the quality of life is considerably reduced. Using alternatives to deal with the symptoms of menopause can allow for minimal hormonal replacement therapy and the duration of hormonal replacement therapy to be reduced.
