Sleep problems can affect anybody at any stage of life but during menopause, even women who've slept soundly for years can suddenly find themselves tossing and turning for nights on end. The reason for this, as with so many things in life, is down to hormones. As perimenopause progresses, ovaries begin producing lower amounts of some hormones - specifically oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone - and sleepless nights become all the more likely. Then, when a woman reaches menopause, defined as having had no menstruation for over a year, her hormone levels plummet to an all-time low, often causing menopausal sleep issues. Menopause sleep problems can manifest as trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, or both.

Disrupted sleep is a complex beast because it presents in different ways and can be caused by many health issues, making it difficult to cure completely. However, there are natural remedies and steps you can take to mitigate its effects and improve the quality of your sleep. Read on to find out how to address menopausal sleep issues and enjoy a better night’s sleep.

If menopause and imbalanced hormones are causing your sleep issues, addressing your hormone levels is a solid place to start. Doctors most commonly suggest hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a low dose of birth control either in pill form or in the form of an injection, or occasionally a low dose of antidepressant medication.

For better odds at getting a good night’s sleep, you can also bring your body back into balance through a hormone-friendly diet. Foods to focus on include healthy fats from fish, nuts, seeds, plant oils, coconut products, and avocados, while those to avoid are dairy and any non-organic animal products.

Ashwagandha is an adaptogen that also goes by the aliases, ‘Indian Ginseng’ and ‘Winter Cherry’, and is a bonafide natural wonder for sleep. A botanical member of the nightshade family, it's been used for centuries by Ayurvedic practitioners to help support people’s sleep-wake cycles and balance out the endocrinal system which is responsible for hormone production and stabilising reproductive cycles, but also touches on sleep and mood too.

Ashwagandha is a member of the species ‘somnifera’, or ‘sleep-inducing’ in Latin. It contains something called ‘triethylene glycol’, a compound that’s heavily implicated in transporting sleep signals to the body and brain.

So how do you get hold of it and more crucially, ensure your body effectively absorbs it? The full spectrum, root extracted Sensoril® Ashwagandha in the LYMA Supplement is the most bioavailable form of this adaptogen. Included at the clinically-backed daily dose of 250mg, it has been proven to be supportive in improving up to 22 areas of health, menopausal lack of sleep included.

There are a few steps you can take to promote healthy sleep and reduce the likelihood of disturbed kicking in:

1. Turn off all technology an hour before bed and don’t bring phones, laptops or tablets into the bedroom with you. The blue light emitted by these devices can (and will!) wreak havoc on your internal diurnal clock.
2. Aim to finish eating at least two hours before you hit the hay as digestion is a protracted affair, the effort of which can lead to trouble falling asleep or interrupted sleep.
3. Ditto water. Try to avoid liquids in the hour or so leading up to bedtime. Getting up repeatedly in the night to use the bathroom can be disruptive to your sleep cycle and can prevent you from falling into that all important REM sleep.
4. Keep your bedroom clean and tidy and prioritise pastel colours, low lighting and relaxing scents such as lavender.
5. Keep your bedroom cool and comfy: get yourself some temperature-control linens, ensure your mattress is fully supportive and your pillows are the correct height and firmness for your neck.

It’s important to get your body into a regular routine when it comes to sleep. You’ll see that by repeating behaviours over a certain period of time, your body and mind will subconsciously know that it’s time to sleep and will begin winding down accordingly. You should aim to head to your bedroom at the same time each night, and to carry out the same routine before bed every evening.

Repetition of behaviours will invoke a subliminal sense of impending rest. That routine could be reading for half an hour, enjoying a nightly skincare regimen, meditating or carrying out a journaling or gratitude activity. Whatever works for you and helps you to wind down is fine, just try to make sure it doesn’t involve a screen.

It might be the understatement of the decade but menopause can be a really challenging time, though it can also be incredibly liberating. The LYMA Supplement formula contains four vital menopause-supporting ingredients that can help get you back on track and feeling more confident:

• Sensoril® Ashwagandha to support all aspect of sleep
• Vita-algae D3™ and MenaQ7® Matric vitamin K to support bone health, mood, and metabolism.
• Cognizin® to support brain health and improve focus (lack of focus being one of the main complaints from women going through menopause).