In my younger days, I always stayed up late and slept in as long as I could. As a student, I had to get up for lectures, and when I worked in the City, I had to be at morning meetings every day by 7:30, which was a real hardship for me! Once I became a mother, morning lie-ins became completely out of the question.
So, once my children became teenagers, I should have been able to enjoy a bit of blissful time in bed every day. But it didn’t happen. Around that time, my sleep pattern changed, and I stopped sleeping well. I started waking up after just a few hours. Even when I managed to sleep through the night, I woke up early in the mornings.
My friends of the same age started saying the same thing. It’s menopause.
The most well-known symptom of menopause is the hot flush, but I never experienced it. And I don’t know many people who have mentioned it. Apart from sleep problems, the most common complaints among my friends are brain fog, anxiety, and loss of confidence.
So, I turned to my GP. I wasn’t specifically asking for HRT, but he (yes, ‘he’) wholeheartedly recommended it and pointed me to a website called Balance Menopause, run by a GP and medically trained menopause specialists.
Have you heard about the side effects and cancer risks? So did I. I wasn’t too enthusiastic initially. But after visiting the website and learning about recent research (and the male-biased old studies), I was converted.
The result?
Well, the first thing to remember is that it’s not magic. It doesn’t solve all life’s problems or reverse ageing. I still complain about brain fog, and I get anxious sometimes.
But now I sleep much better. I rarely toss and turn, and I rarely wake up ridiculously early.
I’m not here to say you must go on HRT if you’re not sleeping well, but just to suggest that you don’t dismiss it because of outdated information. I highly recommend the website above and talking to your GP.
And lastly, I must add that yoga is beneficial for menopausal women. As you know during and after this period, women lose muscle tones and bone strength. Yoga can help with these areas and enhance core strength. Also yoga, with or without HRT, can reduce anxiety and promote better health.
After a restful (or even not-so-restful) sleep, if you want to start your day beautifully, sign up for FREE my Beautiful Morning Starter Kit here! It includes a 9-page PDF morning checklist and an accompanying short yoga video. You can find out more from this button!
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