 (1).png){kind=spacer}
2 months ago
12
Women aged between 40 and 60 get an average of just 6 hours and 36 minutes of sleep per night due to frequent insomnia and night sweats, a study shows.
A poll of 1,000 women in this age bracket reveals the harsh reality of menopause, with broken sleep and joint pain emerging as the two most prominent issues.
Surveyed women reported that they are affected by sleep difficulties and insomnia for an average of 10 days per month.
They said they regularly wake up between 3-4am, leading to severe levels of exhaustion and fatigue.
A fifth of women said the impact of sleep deprivation and other menopausal symptoms has strained relationships, leading to increased arguments with partners or colleagues.
Women aged between 40 and 60 get an average of just 6 hours and 36 minutes of sleep per night due to frequent insomnia and night sweats, a study shows (stock image)
The report also found women in this age group are managing just 6 hours and 36 minutes of sleep per night – below the NHS-recommended 8 hours.
This means that over two decades, exhausted women navigating the perimenopause and menopause could sleep 17.5 per cent less than recommended, losing the equivalent of 425 days of sleep over 20 years.
The worst-hit are women in their late fifties, averaging just 6 hours and 12 minutes of sleep per night, with one in five regularly getting just 5 hours.
Other common symptoms include feeling emotionally flat, pains in the joints, brain fog and irrational thinking.
The poll, commissioned by sleep-tech firm Simba, also showed that women regularly experience lower libido, general anxiety and heart palpitations during this stage of life.
Lisa Artis, deputy CEO at Simba's charity partner The Sleep Charity, said: 'Menopause isn't just about the odd hot flash, it's a rollercoaster of physical and mental symptoms.
The worst-hit are women in their late fifties, averaging just 6 hours and 12 minutes of sleep per night, with one in five regularly getting just 5 hours (stock image)
'While many people think of night sweats as the main hallmark of menopause, our research shows women are battling a breadth of symptoms daily.
'These aren't just minor inconveniences.
'Women could be spending up to a third of their midlife years feeling disconnected from their emotions, battling anxiety and coping with extreme fatigue.
'And it's happening month after month.
'This is a monumental toll on people's mental and physical health.
'The harsh truth is that women are navigating their work, home life, and relationships while managing severe and often invisible symptoms that chip away at their health and wellbeing, which demand greater recognition, support, and effective solutions.'
Selected Simba products have the ‘M-Tick’, a menopause-friendly label designed to help women easily identify products that can support them with symptoms.
ABOUT CIRCIDIAN RHYTHMS
Our internal circadian rhythms, or circadian clock, is responsible for waking our bodies up in the morning and ensuring they get a good night's rest.
In a healthy person, cortisol levels peak at around 8am, which wakes us up (in theory), and drop to their lowest at 3am the next day, before rising back to its peak five hours later.
Ideally, this 8am peak will be triggered by exposure to sunlight, if not an alarm. When it does, the adrenal glands and brain will start pumping adrenaline.
By mid-morning, the cortisol levels start dropping, while the adrenaline (for energy) and serotonin (a mood stabilizer) keep pumping.
At midday, metabolism and core body temperature ramp up, getting us hungry and ready to eat.
After noon, cortisol levels start their steady decline. Metabolism slows down and tiredness sets in.
Gradually the serotonin turns into melatonin, which induces sleepiness.
Our blood sugar levels decrease, and at 3am, when we are in the middle of our sleep, cortisol levels hit a 24-hour low.
