How Does Menopause Affect Sleep and What Can Women Do to Fix It
- Brainz Magazine
- Oct 14
- 6 min read
Written by Nelum Dharmapriya, Doctor & Health Coach
Dr Nelum Dharmapriya is a Brisbane-based GP with a special interest in metabolic health, menopause, and lifestyle medicine. She combines 30 years of clinical experience with a personal passion for helping women thrive in midlife and beyond.
Sleep problems during menopause aren’t just frustrating, they’re biological. In this insightful article, Dr. Nelum Dharmapriya, GP and founder of Whole Food Revolution, explains how fluctuating hormones, metabolism, and stress disrupt rest, and shares practical, science-backed steps to reclaim deep, restorative sleep and renewed vitality.
When sleep disappears in midlife
If you’re a woman in your forties or fifties, chances are you’ve noticed that sleep no longer comes easily. You fall asleep only to wake hours later, drenched in heat or unable to quiet your thoughts.
As both a doctor and a woman in midlife, I’ve experienced this firsthand. Menopause and sleep are deeply connected, and when hormones fluctuate, the consequences ripple through every system of the body. But the good news is this, with understanding, strategy, and care, restful sleep can be reclaimed.
Why sleep matters more than ever after 40
Sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s essential biology. Neuroscientist Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep, calls it “the Swiss Army knife of health.” During sleep, the body restores the brain, repairs tissue, regulates hormones, and strengthens immunity.
When that process breaks down, the effects are immediate and far-reaching. Memory and cognition decline as the brain misses its nightly “clean-up,” allowing beta-amyloid linked to Alzheimer’s disease to accumulate. Heart health worsens, just one week of short sleep raises blood pressure and stress hormones. Metabolism falters, driving insulin resistance and weight gain. Mood and resilience plummet, with less REM sleep, and emotions become harder to regulate. Immunity weakens, making you more prone to infections and inflammation.
For women 40 and beyond, these changes are magnified by shifting hormones. Sleep isn’t just about energy, it’s about protecting long-term health, cognitive function, and emotional stability.
My journey from snoring to serenity
For years, I snored loudly enough to wake myself. The nights were restless, peppered with bathroom trips and fitful dreams. Each morning felt like recovering from a hangover.
As a GP, I understood the mechanics, but like many women, I ignored them. My wake-up call came after watching Still Alice, a film about early-onset Alzheimer’s. Fearful that my poor sleep might affect my brain health, I began investigating.
A sleep tracker revealed that I was barely entering REM sleep. After addressing nocturia (frequent night-time urination) with a short course of bladder medication, my awakenings dropped dramatically. I also tackled snoring by improving my metabolic health, embracing a whole-food, low-carb lifestyle, and focusing on gentle weight loss.
Excess fat, especially in the tongue and neck, narrows the airway and worsens snoring. As body composition improved, the snoring vanished. Better metabolism also reduced visceral fat, the deep abdominal fat that disrupts hormones and sleep.
Within weeks, my nights transformed. I woke clear-headed, energised, and present. It was life-changing, proof that sleep, metabolism, and hormones are profoundly interconnected.
The hormone sleep connection
Menopause is a transition, not a malfunction, but the hormonal shifts can wreak havoc on sleep.
Progesterone, nature’s calming and sedative hormone, drops sharply. It soothes the brain’s GABA receptors, helping us fall asleep, without it, we lie awake longer. Estrogen fluctuates, disrupting serotonin and thermoregulation. Hot flashes and night sweats raise core body temperature, prompting awakenings. Cortisol, the stress hormone, often stays elevated, preventing deep rest. Airway tone decreases as estrogen declines, heightening the risk of snoring and sleep apnoea.
The result is fragmented, shallow sleep that leaves women exhausted and vulnerable to metabolic, emotional, and cognitive strain.
What poor sleep does to the menopausal body
Walker’s research reveals that sleep deprivation disrupts hunger hormones, lowering leptin (the “I’m full” signal) and increasing ghrelin (the “I’m hungry” signal). The result is cravings, overeating, and stubborn midsection weight.
Sleep loss also raises cortisol and blood glucose, deepening insulin resistance and weight gain. Over time, this metabolic stress drives fatigue and mood swings, the hallmark trio of perimenopause.
The cycle is self-reinforcing, hormonal imbalance leads to poor sleep, which fuels metabolic disruption, weight gain, and even worse sleep. The first step to breaking it? Treating sleep as your top health priority.
Steps to reclaim restorative sleep
1. Lifestyle tweaks that make a big difference
Keeping the bedroom cool around 18 °C (65 °F) is ideal.
Take a warm shower before bed, this paradoxically cools your core temperature afterward, helping you drift off faster.
Stick to a consistent sleep and wake time regularity to strengthen the circadian rhythm.
Prioritise 7-9 hours of sleep, it's the range your body and brain need to repair fully.
Limit caffeine after noon, its half-life means afternoon coffee can steal your deep sleep.
Skip alcohol near bedtime, it may help you doze off, but fragments REM sleep.
Power down screens an hour before bed, blue light delays melatonin.
Wind-down ritual, gentle stretches, breathing, journalling, or reading in low light signals your body to rest.
Walker emphasises that consistency and darkness are the most powerful “natural sleep aids” available.
2. Explore hormone therapy
When lifestyle alone isn’t enough, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) can be a game-changer.
Estrogen stabilises serotonin, regulates body temperature, and eases hot flashes. Progesterone provides a calming, sedative effect that promotes deeper sleep and relaxation.
HRT must be individualised, weighing benefits and risks with your doctor, but for many women, restoring hormonal balance restores restful nights.
3. Add magnesium support
Magnesium supports more than 300 biochemical reactions, many involved in relaxation and nervous-system balance.
It helps boost GABA, lower cortisol, and aid melatonin production.
Best forms:
Magnesium glycinate: Gentle, well absorbed, and calming.
Magnesium threonate: Crosses the blood-brain barrier, supporting cognitive function.
Magnesium citrate: Beneficial if you also struggle with constipation.
Many women find magnesium reduces restless legs, anxiety, and cramps, all silent sleep saboteurs.
4. Consider targeted supports
Melatonin (slow release) replenishes natural melatonin levels, helping with sleep onset and rhythm.
Gabapentin may reduce hot flashes and night sweats that wake you repeatedly.
CBT for Insomnia (CBTI) is the evidence-based, long-term solution for chronic insomnia.
CBTI works by retraining both body and mind. It teaches you to re-associate bed with rest (not frustration), restructure unhelpful beliefs about sleep, and gradually rebuild trust in your body’s ability to sleep naturally. Studies show CBTI is as effective as medication without side effects, and the benefits last.
5. Address snoring and sleep apnoea
Snoring can be more than a nuisance, it’s often a sign of airway obstruction. In menopause, as estrogen declines and muscle tone lessens, snoring and sleep apnoea become more common.
Untreated obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, cognitive decline, and metabolic dysfunction. If you snore loudly, wake gasping, or feel unrefreshed despite a full night's rest, it's worth discussing with your doctor. You may need a sleep study to rule out OSA and identify appropriate treatment, ranging from positional therapy and oral devices to CPAP support in more severe cases.
Addressing airway health is often the missing link in restoring true restorative sleep.
What happened when I slept again
When my nights finally deepened, everything else followed. My focus sharpened, my energy soared, my weight stabilised, and my joy returned.
I began asking every patient struggling with midlife symptoms the same question, "How are you sleeping?" Because sleep isn’t a side note, it’s the foundation.
The takeaway
Exhaustion isn’t inevitable, and it’s certainly not a badge of honour. As Why We Sleep reminds us, chronic sleep loss increases the risk of Alzheimer’s, heart disease, depression, and diabetes.
For women in midlife, restoring sleep is the most powerful investment you can make. Start small. Re-evaluate your evenings. Cool the room, dim the lights, breathe deeply, and prioritise the 7–9 hours your body craves.
Because when women sleep well, hormones balance, metabolism thrives, and the spark of life returns.
Sleep is not a pause in living, it’s how you come alive again.
Your next step
If you’ve been struggling through sleepless nights, hot flashes, or foggy mornings, wondering why your body feels out of sync, know this, you are not alone, and it’s not your fault. Sleep disruption during menopause is common, but it’s also reversible when you understand what your body truly needs.
You can restore balance, rebuild energy, and wake feeling refreshed again. It starts with understanding your hormones, supporting your metabolism, and creating a sleep environment that allows your body to heal.
I invite you to book a free discovery call to explore how you can reclaim deep, restorative sleep through evidence-based, personalised strategies. Together, we can uncover the underlying factors from hormone shifts to insulin resistance that are keeping you awake and guide you back to restful nights.
And you don’t have to walk this path alone. Join our Whole Food Revolution Community, a supportive group of women navigating midlife with courage and curiosity. Together, we learn, share, and celebrate each win, big or small.
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we share practical guidance on menopause, hormones, and sleep, empowering you with the science, mindset, and tools to feel vibrant again.
Because quality sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s a cornerstone of health, healing, and the joyful life you deserve.
Read more from Nelum Dharmapriya
Nelum Dharmapriya, Doctor & Health Coach
Dr Nelum Dharmapriya is a Brisbane-based GP with 30 years’ experience in women’s health and metabolic wellbeing. Founder of Whole Food Revolution, she empowers women 40+ to reclaim energy and confidence through the three pillars of science, lifestyle, and mindset.
