Menopause can significantly affect sleep quality, making it harder to fall asleep, stay asleep and wake feeling refreshed. The changes in hormone levels during this stay of life can disrupt the body's temperature system, triggering hot flushes and night sweats.
While every woman's experience is different, there are practical ways to improve sleep comfort. From creating a cooler bedroom environment to choosing breathable natural fibre bedding, small changes can make a meaningful difference to sleep quality during menopause.
How Does Menopause Impact Quality Sleep?
Disturbed sleep often begins perimenopause, the stage leading up to menopause. During this period, changing hormone levels can affect the body's normal sleep pattern, making it more difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep and achieve restorative sleep.
Hot flushes are among the most common menopause symptoms, with around 80% of women experience the discomfort of hot flashes or night sweats. They can occur at any time of the day or night, causing discomfort and disturbed sleep. When they occur during the night, they frequently interrupt sleep, leading to repeated waking, insomnia and poor quality sleep.
Over time, distrupted sleep can have a significant impact on overall wellbeing, contributing to daytime fatigue, reduced energy levels, mood changes and difficulty concentrating.
Why Night Sweats Disrupt Sleep
Menopause is a natural process for women when their ovaries stop releasing eggs and producing the hormones oestrogen and progesterone. Everyone's experience is different and it generally begins between the age of 45-55.
Menopause and sleep are closely linked due to declining progesterone levels. Progesterone has a natural calming effect that helps support healthy sleep, reduced levels may make it more difficult to fall asleep.
Alongside declining progesterone, oestrogen levels also decrease during menopause. Reduce oestrogen can affect the hypothalamus, the part of the brain responsible for regulating body temperature. It's believed that the low level of oestrogen confuses the body that it's overheating, resulting in excessive sweating and redness to the skin in effect to cool down the body, commonly know as night sweats or hot flushes.
When night sweats occur during sleep, they can cause sudden awakenings and make it difficult to return to sleep, reducing both sleep quality and duration.
Simple Ways to Improve Sleep During Menopause
Menopause experience is different for everyone, meaning there is no one solution that will fix sleep problems. However, there are a few tips and tricks that could improve your sleeping experience during menopause.
Bedroom Environment
Creating a calming and restful bedroom environment can help promote a healthy sleep. Start with a cool, dark and quiet space that encourages and helps you fall asleep. The ideal bedroom temperature is 18 degrees, to help support quality sleep. If your room is warm, consider opening a window or have a fan on to create a light breeze.
Consider natural, breathable bedding that helps to regulate temperature. Wool is an excellent choice for menopause bedding because it's naturally breathable, moisture wicking and temperature regulating, helping manage heat and humidity throughout the night. When looking at bedding select a weight that is suitable for your sleeping environment and style.
Shop the MiniJumbuk Wool Bedding Range.
Wind-Down Routine
Quality sleep loves consistency. Create a bedtime routine so your body and mind identify that it's sleep time. Support your body's circadian rhythm by having a regular bed and wake time, including on the weekend.
Other suggestions to support a relaxing bedtime routine:
- Shower
- Cool drink of water
- Read a book that you're able to put down easily
- Listening to calming music or podcast
Avoid Screen Time
Screen time and sleep do not go together. Avoid phones, tablets or laptops while in bed or when you wish to fall asleep. The backlight can trick the brain into thinking it's morning light and delay the ability to fall sleep.
Diet
While come foods encourage restful sleep, others have the opposite effect and can delay falling asleep or cause wake ups during the night. Avoid large quantities of caffeine during the day and too late in the day. It may work quickly but it stays in your system for a long period, affecting bedtime.
Exercise
Regular physical activity is great for the body and mind at any stage of life. It's great way to wear your body out and encourage a restful night's sleep. Aim to finish exercise a minimum of 3 hours before bedtime to give your body a chance to regulate before bed.
Remember everyone's experience is different and not all suggestions will work equally. It's best to try one at a time for a few weeks to allow your body to adjust.
Choosing the Right Bedding
The best bedding for menopause should help manage body temperature, moisture and comfort through the night. Natural fibres like wool and cotton are highly breathable and may help create a cooler, drier sleep environment compared to synthetic alternatives.
Breathability
Wool can absorb up to 35% of its own weight in moisture vapour without feeling damp. This helps reduce humidity next to the skin, preventing sweat and supports the body to find it's natural comfort zone.
Moisture Management
Wool's unique moisture management properties help to absorb excess heat and transfer it away from the body by releasing water vapour into the air. Resulting in a cooler, drier and more comfortable environment.
Temperature Regulation
Wool helps maintain a more stable sleeping temperature by responding to changes in body heat and humidity through the night, reducing the likelihood of overheating and night sweats.
Cool bedding for Menopause
During menopause the body's internal thermostat becomes sensitive and causes increased body temperature, hot flushes and night sweats. Finding cool bedding for menopause can be a challenge but considering natural fibres that promote temperature regulation is a great start.
Wool Quilt
Sleeping with a wool quilt can help manage heat and moisture naturally, maintaining a comfortable sleeping temperature.
For hot sleepers or warmer climates, the MiniJumbuk Cool Wool Cotton Quilt combines wool and cotton fibres for enhanced breathability and moisture management. For ultra-light comfort, the Super Cool Wool Cotton Quilt provides an even lighter option for warm nights.
Explore the MiniJumbuk Wool Quilt Range
Wool Mattress Topper
Adding a wool mattress topper can improve sleeping comfort while helping regulate temperature and manage moisture. Research has also shown wool underlays (mattress toppers) may support longer periods of restorative REM sleep.
The Sleep Restful Mattress Topper combines wool fleece and cotton to help cushion the body while promoting a cooler, more balanced sleep environment.
Explore the MiniJumbuk Wool Mattress Topper Range
Wool Pillows
Pillows can make or break your sleep and it's hard to know which pillow is right to achieve a restful night's sleep. A breathable pillow is particularly important during menopause, as excess heat is often felt around the head and neck. Wool pillows promote airflow and help excess warmth escape for improved comfort.
The Merino Cool Memory Foam Pillow features cooling gel technology on one side and temperature-regulating merino wool blend fabric on the reverse, offering a calming, cooling and supportive pillow.
Explore the MiniJumbuk Wool Pillow Range
Bedlinen
To maximise the benefits of wool bedding, choose breathable bed linen made from natural fibres such as cotton, linen or bamboo. Avoid synthetic materials like polyester or nylon, as they trap heat and humidity close to the skin causing sweat and discomfort.
While bedding choices are important it's worth considering your sleepwear as well. A study conducted by the University of Sydney found that older adults wearing wool sleepwear fall asleep faster and had less sleep disrupters compared to other fibre sleepwear.
"Wool helps regulate your body temperature, keeping you in what is known as 'the thermal comfort zone' for longer", explains Associate Professor Chin Mio Chow from The University of Sydney.
"You therefore not only fall asleep quicker, but also have deeper, less fragmented sleep."
Frequently Asked Questions
Can menopause cause sleeping problems?
Yes, it's very common for menopause to cause sleeping problems, such as insomnia, night sweats, hot flushes and frequent waking during the night.
How can I sleep better during menopause?
Creating a restful bedroom environment that promotes calming and cool sleep. Consider a cool, dark bedroom and choose breathable bedding made from natural fibres such as wool to help improve sleep quality during menopause.
Why does menopause affect sleep?
Menopause affects sleep primarily because of changing hormonal levels, which disrupt the body's temperature regulation and normal sleep patterns.
