Some women have trouble sleeping before and during their period. How to calm them down? Explanations.
- In case of menstruation-related sleep disorders, try to keep a good sleep rhythm: go to bed and get up at the same times.
- Before bed, doing a relaxing activity like breathing exercises or gentle yoga can help you sleep.
Difficulty falling asleep, nocturnal awakenings or even insomnia… Menstruation can disturb women’s sleep. According to a study carried out by the National Sleep Foundation23% of them have restless sleep during the week preceding their period and 30% during it.
physical and psychological symptoms
When these disorders occur before menstruation, they are attributed to premenstrual syndrome. These are symptoms physical (breast pain, headaches, etc.) and psychological (anxiety, irritability, depressed mood, etc.) appear seven to ten days before menstruation. Usually they stop when menstruation begins. But, until now, researchers have failed to identify the exact reasons why this premenstrual syndrome affects sleep.
Hormones disrupt our sleep
Some hypothesize that the increase in the level of hormones, estrogen and progesterone, could explain these difficulties in falling asleep by their mere presence but also because these hormonal changes impact the body temperature which generally increases by three five tenths of a degree. Numbers that seem insignificant but can actually affect women’s sleep. Indeed, the drop in body temperature in the evening is one of the biological mechanisms that allows you to fall asleep. To counterbalance this symptom, it is advisable to maintain a temperature of 16 to 19 degrees in his room.
Do relaxing activities
During menstruation, on the other hand, the hormones drop very sharply. Here too, this phenomenon can impact the quality of sleep, in particular by causing insomnia. It is obviously impossible to fight against this natural phenomenon but, to limit the symptoms, you can try to reduce stimulating drinks such as tea or coffee. It is also recommended to do breathing exercises, meditation or gentle yoga to relax before sleeping. This last advice is also valid for women who feel anxious before or during their period, which can also disturb their sleep.
Treating Digestive Disorders Through Diet
Sleep disturbances can also be due to physical ailments, such as digestive disorders. To calm them, it is necessary to adopt an anti-inflammatory diet. Exit cakes, chocolate, bread, it is better to favor whole grain products such as rice, pasta, breads with cereals or unrefined flour, dried fruits or oilseeds such as almonds or walnuts, etc. Peel your fruits and vegetables and cook them before eating them to digest them better. Finally, for drinks, limit alcohol, sodas as well as sugary and/or carbonated drinks.
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