Night Sweats: What Causes Them?
The most common causes of insomnia and night sweats are hormonal changes related to menopause. As estrogen declines, the hypothalmus, which regulates body heat, begins to fail. These were my first signs of perimenopause.
As difficult as night sweats and insomnia are, they become more so if women don’t know how to deal with it in the right way. The best thing to do is learn what causes these symptoms and then you can know how to prevent or control them.
Of course, the most important thing is to have good hormone levels. A healthy diet and exercise program will support your body and get you on the right track. It may not be enough, but it’s a good place to start.
Here are some other general tips to help reduce your night sweats and insomnia:
* Eat a balanced diet of fruits, vegetable, grains, fiber and protein.
* Sleep in a cool room.
* Use a fan – it will help with the night sweats and the constant humming will help keep other noises down that may awaken you.
* Take a cold shower before bedtime.
* Drink lots of water during the day….half of your body weight in ounces is the most optimum.
* Exercise regularly
* Avoid sugar, caffeine and alcohol.
Night sweats and insomnia can cause emotional stress during the day due to a lack of good, refreshing sleep. It is vital to have your hormone levels checked if you suffer from these symptoms.
A therapy called Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) may be recommended for you if you have a hormone imbalance. I would strongly discourage this form of therapy and recommend that you seek out a specialist in hormone therapy if your own physician does not know about safer methods of dealing with night sweats and insomnia.
Bioidentical hormones are an effective way to deal with your hormone imbalances. And they are much more safe than HRT. I will be writing more on bioidentical hormones in the near future.
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