What causes sleep decline in menopause?

It really is the pits, and hard to function normally let alone happily, with insufficient and poor quality sleep.

But what causes many post-menopausal women to sleep poorly, even if they've slept well much of their lives?

In short, it can be due to one, or often many of these reasons...

• Hormonal changes (low estrogen, progesterone, melatonin, high cortisol) disrupt sleep cycles

• Neurotransmitter shifts (low serotonin, low GABA, high glutamate) increase stress and restlessness

• Blood sugar swings cause middle-of-the-night wakeups.

• Circadian rhythm issues delay melatonin and make nighttime light more disruptive

• Inflammation & gut dysbiosis impair neurotransmitter function

• Increased stress & anxiety worsen sleep disturbances

Menopause disrupts oestrogen, progesterone, melatonin and cortisol, all of which affect sleep. In my next post I'll be talking about solutions.