Mild sleep disorders, or period insomnia, occur in many women, especially during their periods.
This condition can be characterised as the inability to fall asleep, to stay asleep or to sleep soundly; it tends to occur before, during menstruation.
Below, we will discuss the signs, the causes, the therapy for menstrual insomnia, and its relation to the PMS and ovulation phases.
What is Period Insomnia?
Menstrual insomnia is a type of insomnia that is experienced in relation to the menstrual cycle. The common type of sleep disorder that affects women includes insomnia before period, insomnia during period, and ovulation insomnia.
These are basically irregular and are not a norm in a sleep cycle by a great deal. It is therefore essential to delve deeper into period insomnia so as to be able to manage its effects and allow one to have a comfortable sleep.
Symptoms of Menstrual Insomnia
A type of period insomnia that is usual with people is the insomnia before period, which involves finding it hard to fall asleep, and experiencing frequent wakefulness in the days before menstruation. Common symptoms include:
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Frequent awakenings during the night
- Restless sleep
- Waking up earlier than desired
- Eating more than needed.
- Feeling tired upon waking
Insomnia During Period
The experience of a physically new phenomenon during female menstruation, which includes pains and discomfort that are likely to interfere with her sleep. Symptoms of this menstrual insomnia include:
- Increased sleep interruptions
- Difficulty finding a comfortable sleeping position
- Night sweats and hot flashes
- Agitation or mood swings
- Persistent fatigue
Ovulation Insomnia
Ovulation insomnia happens mainly at the time of ovulation, that is, in the middle of the ovulation cycle. While this is not as prevalent as the menstrual type of insomnia, some women mention that they experience sleep disorders because of the elevated energy levels. Moreover, they feel slight pains or hormonal fluctuations. Symptoms may include:
- Trouble falling asleep
- Vivid dreams or nightmares
- Feeling unusually alert, awake or restless at night.
Causes of Menstrual Insomnia
The reasons for insomnia during periods are as follows: hormonal factors, psychological factors and physical factors. Below are the primary contributors:
Hormonal Changes
It was found that estrogen and progesterone levels are especially associated with menstrual insomnia. These hormones affect sleep in some way, and they fluctuate significantly during the female menstrual cycle.
Estrogen: It has been claimed that low levels of estrogen, particularly before PMS and during it, can also cause insomnia before the period and during the period.
Progesterone: This has the ability to cause changes in restfulness levels, but it has side effects that affect sleep.
PMS and Sleeplessness
These symptoms of PMS can therefore affect sleep as follows: It is established that PMS and sleep disturbances are interconnected because some of the symptoms are similar to them, namely:
- Mood swings
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Breast tenderness
- Headaches
These are some of the explanations that can make it hard for one to sleep and, therefore, develop insomnia.
Physical Discomfort
Some of the physical symptoms of menstruation may include: abdominal pain, swelling, and stomach upset, which makes it difficult for one to find the best sleeping position. Such problems may cause insomnia before menstruation and during menstruation as well.
All in all, to have a comfortable period, along with other treatments, you should use the most comfortable Sanitary Pads.
Treatment and Management
Period insomnia can therefore be managed by changes to the person’s lifestyle, home remedies and or taking medication. Below are some ways to handle menstrual insomnia:
Lifestyle and Home Remedies
- Right Sleeping Schedule: This is to maintain the right sleeping schedule, ensure that the sleep environment is conducive, and ensure that there is proper preparation before going to bed.
- Yoga and Meditation: Simple practices such as Yoga or Meditation and Deep breathing exercises help in reducing stress and anxiety levels and thus serve as good practices for improving the quality of sleep.
- Comfortable Period Pads: To feel protected and comfortable, you must choose soft and breathable Embrace Period Pads. If you fear leakage and stains, use extra-long sanitary pads for maximum protection.
- Exercise: Exercise also helps the body to regulate the sleep cycle as it discourages the performance of intense exercises right before going to bed.
- Diet change: The effect of caffeine on sleep is well-known; therefore, avoiding foods or beverages containing caffeine at least three days before the start of your period is wise.
Medical Treatments
All these are hence not sufficient measures to help some women who suffer from period insomnia to get a good sleep. In such cases, the following medical treatments could be required:
- Hormonal Medications: This can be prescribed as a treatment depending on the extent of the hormonal imbalance in a woman’s body or the intensity of the insomnia symptoms.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia: This involves educating ways to deal with thoughts and behaviours that hinder Sleep.
- Over-the-counter Painkillers: Pain relievers can be used to ease the pain of cramps and subsequently allow one to have better sleep.
Professional Help
In fact, whether it’s about menstrual insomnia or PMS and sleeplessness that affects your quality of life in a negative manner, consulting a healthcare professional may be necessary. Sometimes, there could be other related ailments that cause sleep deprivation, and a doctor will advise on the best course to undertake.
Conclusion
Due to the tendency of many women to ignore it, period insomnia, which involves insomnia before the period, during the period, and ovulation insomnia, is a widespread problem.
What we believe is that there are so many options for improving sleep, and one just has to select the most appropriate one, since it is essential in improving one’s quality of life.
However, you should remember that they are not the only ones with such problems. If you need help, go and ask for it!
Moreover, get enough sleep, use comfortable period pads, and stay hydrated to avoid such problems.
