Stuggling with menopause and anxiety at night?
Many women I speak to suffer from menopausal symptoms and anxiety at night. Women are typically very stretched during midlife as they often have to juggle teenage children, support elderly parents and maintain their working life. These demands all tend to come together at a time when a woman’s hormones are changing, leaving her feeling less able to cope.
When stress levels are heightened the body produces adrenaline and cortisol from the adrenal glands.
These hormones initially increase heart rate and breathing preparing the body action also known as the flight or flight response. When stress continues longer term, over weeks, months and years, the adrenal glands can become depleted, the nerves become frayed, and anxiety can become an issue.
Night time can be a tricky time for anyone suffering from anxiety. In the lonely dark of the night, problems always appears worse, the mind tends to ruminate and can easily catastrophize. Perimenopausal women may be awake more often as they struggle with hot flushes and night sweats preventing sleep. To add on top of that, flushes can be associated with anxiety in themselves. Women tell me about a feeling of dread or doom before or during a flush adding another layer to the complexities of menopausal symptoms and anxiety at night.
Fortunately there are lots of herbs which can reduce anxiety, support menopausal symptoms and aid a better nights sleep.
I remember one patient, I’ll call her Jenna, who experienced repeated flushes and anxiety at night and wouldn’t get off to sleep until 3am. She had to get up for work at 7am, felt exhausted all day and dreaded going to bed. She reported a marked improvement with herbs after one month, being able to fall asleep earlier and her anxiety had lessened. By the end of 3 months treatment she was sleeping 7 hours in one block. She was more energised in the morning and her mood had improved. She looked forward to going to bed again.
There are many herbs which are useful for menopausal symptoms and anxiety at night. Sedative herbs such as Passionflower and Valerian are excellent at relaxing the mind while improving the quantity and quality of sleep. Sage and Black Cohosh reduce hot flushes and night sweats if required. Giving liver support in the form of Turmeric, Dandelion Root or Milk Thistle help balance hormones and smooth the underlying transition. I would also recommend a nourishing adrenal tonic such as Ashwagandha to improve sleep and reduce anxiety.
If you are looking for individual support with menopause and anxiety at night why not consider booking a consultation? Women report seeing a qualified herbalist and obtaining a bespoke prescription much more effective than trying lots of different products over the counter.