my 50th birthday is closer than my 40th was
Somedays it is hard to believe that I’m almost 50. I mean, how did that happen!?
Getting closer to my 50th means too that I’m approaching menopause. And, how did that happen!!??
I’ve been listening to a few podcasts on menopause lately, learning as much as I can about what is to come. And it was this podcast – Perimenopause with Dr. Carrie Jones – on Low Tox Life that provided a revelationary nugget:
perimenopause = reverse puberty
It makes perfect sense, really. Puberty was when all of the hormones kicked in (hello, mood swings and breast tenderness), and now they’ve put the brakes on and whacked themselves in reverse (oh look, the mood swings and breast tenderness are back!).
The hallmark of perimenopause is a change in the levels of the hormones estrogen, progesterone, and the androgens. ~Christiane Northrup (source)
Everyone experiences these changes in hormone levels differently, which can lead to a plethora of symptoms. Hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, mood swings, insomnia, crashing fatigue… just to name a few. There’s quite a list of symptoms (here are just two lists to look at – here and here), and not everyone is going to experience symptoms the same.
I’ve never been a great sleeper and am currently dealing with fatigue from CFS, but as I learn more about crashing fatigue, I wonder how much impact perimenopause is having on my fatigue levels and insomnia.
Added to that, we’re in an interesting time during our 40’s.
Some of the things we’re dealing with are:
- you may be at the height of your career
- perhaps you’re dealing with teenagers and young adults (and who knew that this period of their lives would make midnight feeding and changing nappies look like a walk in the park!)
- divorce may be happening or have happened
- you’ll be dealing with parents who are aging and no longer in good health
hello, stress
And stress does some wonderfully weird and wacky shit to our bodies.
Which is why sleep becomes critical. It’s during your deep sleep phase that your body does its self-maintenance and repairs. Deep sleep is when your brain gets its daily spring clean, and nutrients are circulated helping to create healthier cells.
Now, you may be used to not sleeping well – a night owl, an early riser, a chronic insomniac – but
did you know that sleep deprivation has a cumulative effect?
If you’re not waking up feeling rested and restored, the worse your symptoms of perimenopause could be. Which means, you really need to be having a good 8-hours of sleep each night.
It was when Dr. Carrie Jones said this, though, that I had a true a-ha moment:
“…be non-negotiable about kids, or dogs, or noises, or if somebody is snoring. These are the years in your life when you have to get good sleep and don’t feel bad.”
As much as I love my Husband, I’m sleeping in the same bed as Darth Vadar’s little brother.
He never used to snore (unless he was bone-tired and really drunk), but in the last couple of years, his snoring has developed into a house-shaking rattle (which he has had looked at, but not followed up – let’s not go there…).
(Funny side story: it was only last week that the Boy got up and told his Father that he snored. He was able to hear him through two closed doors, while watching a movie with headphones on. He said initially he couldn’t work out what the noise was, but when he walked into the hallway he knew… Dad was snoring.)
So, on creepy-phone-call-heavy-breathing-nights, I would lay there, staring at the ceiling and resisting the urge to lean over and smother him with my pillow. And then I listened to Dr. Carrie.
it was time to move into the spare bed and focus on my sleep
We need to make a psychological shift on our parts. We’ve spent so long looking after others, and putting our needs second, that we’ve forgotten how to put ourselves first. And sleep is such a vital part of our health. A good night’s sleep sets you up for a good day and an even better life.
Since moving into the spare bed, I’ve started sleeping through the night, for the first time in years. The very first night I slept the whole way through, I woke so refreshed – was this what it felt like to have slept well? – and wondering why I hadn’t moved into the spare bed sooner. I’m prioritizing my sleep now because it makes me a happier, more functional human being. And is one of the simplest and cheapest supplements you can give yourself to improve your health.
So if you’re entering perimenopause, and struggling with sleep, be kind to yourself during this transition… give yourself some grace.
go sleep in the other bed and be unapologetic about getting a good nights rest
If you’d like to do some more reading on menopause, here’s a list of the best menopause blogs of 2019 to get you started.
Tasha
