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What are the signs and symptoms of the menopause?

Let’s talk about the menopause. In this article, we will discuss the signs and symptoms of the menopause and its impact on your sleep.

What is the menopause?

The menopause is the time in a woman’s life when she stops producing eggs from her ovaries (ovulation) and stops having periods (ceases menstruation). Menopause normally occurs when a woman reaches around 50 years of age and levels of the body’s sex hormone, oestrogen, decreases.

Signs and symptoms of the menopause?

During the early stages of the menopause, women will often experience changes in their monthly periods and may also experience:

  • mood changes, such as anxiety or depression
  • headaches
  • reduced libido and vaginal dryness
  • heart palpitations
  • insomnia
  • hot flushes and night sweats

Menopause and sleep

Menopause can have a detrimental effect on sleep, causing insomnia and night sweats. Night sweats occur as a result of hot flushes during the night. A hot flush makes you feel very hot, very suddenly, normally lasting no longer than a few minutes. When they occur at night, they can disrupt sleep, which can lead to irritability and a lack of concentration during the day.

Treatments for the menopause

If your menopause symptoms are extreme and affecting your day to day life, you might want to visit your GP to discuss Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) or anti-depressants. There are also a number of natural remedies for menopause and night sweats, as well as simple lifestyle changes that you can make to ease the symptoms of menopause:

Lifestyle changes:

  • Regular exercise – as well as boosting mood, regular exercise will help you avoid putting on weight and has been shown to reduce menopause symptoms.
  • Healthy diet – during the menopause, decreased oestrogen levels also cause a decrease in calcium, which can affect bone strength. A healthy balanced diet will keep bones and muscles strong.
  • Stop smoking – not only can smoking cause earlier onset of the menopause, but it can also cause hot flushes to be more severe.
  • Keep cool – wear light clothing and opt for light bedding to keep you cool at night time.
  • Relax – stress can trigger hot flushes and affect your sleep.

Menopause Cafe

The menopause is no longer a taboo subject. Talking about the changes your body is going through with other women can be a rewarding, uplifting experience. Sometimes you can feel isolated going through the menopause and struggle to find information and support around symptoms from traditional sources. This is where the Menopause Café comes in! This is a safe space where women experiencing the menopause can meet, chat and discuss their experiences in a safe and welcoming space. The Menopause Café initiative has a presence throughout the U.K. and you can meet up as often or as little as you like. For some, just knowing that this support is available is incredibly encouraging. Find out if there’s a café near you or how to start one in your area here.

To read more about the menopause, have a look at our topic, Menopause & Sleep.

Fine Bedding Co Breathe 4.5 Tog Duvet

Fine Bedding Co Breathe 4.5 Tog Duvet

The Fine Bedding Company Breathe 4.5 Tog Duvet

The Breathe Duvet from The Fine Bedding Company is specially developed to offer you a more refreshing night’s sleep.

The cover is made from luxurious 100% breathable microfibre. The filling is made from an intelligent blend of Smartfil® and modal ingredients, it can help to regulate a person’s temperature to their optimum throughout the night to ensure a better sleep experience.

The addition of modal (a fibre blend made from natural raw materials and polyester) absorbs and disperses excess humidity, wicking moisture away from the body leaving you feeling fresh yet cosy and comfortable all night long.

The 4.5 Tog duvet is a summer weight duvet and is ideal for those with central heating or hot sleepers.

  • Breathability - Excellent. Weight - Light. Durability - Good.
  • Cover: 100% Textured Breathable Microfibre
  • Filling: 80% Smartfil Microfibre/ 20% Modal
  • Moisture-wicking modal fibre
  • Breathable microfibre cover
  • Non-allergenic
  • Washable at 60°C
  • Suitable for tumble drying
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Velfont Yeti Cooling Duvet

Velfont Yeti Cooling Duvet

The Yeti temperature-regulating duvet from Velfont is ideal for people who suffer from temperature and humidity changes during the night.

What makes this duvet even better is that thanks to its weight and production technology it can be used all year round, replacing the need to change your duvet tog with every season and also cutting down on the storage space needed for several duvets.

This cooling duvet is designed with an Outlast® cotton cover on one side to help towards a well-regulated sleeping climate throughout the night, without feeling too hot or too cold. Outlast® was originally developed for NASA to balance temperature changes. This material is designed to absorb, store and release heat that the body emits during the different stages of sleep.

If you want a cosier feel for the cooler months simply flip your duvet over and sleep with the cotton side next to you.

With a soft and lightweight Neotherm® filling, this lofty duvet is easy to care for and suitable for machine washing.

  • Suitable for all seasons and for year round use.
  • Front: 100% cooling Outlast® cotton. Reverse: 100% cotton
  • Temperature Regulating
  • Filling Composition: 100% Neotherm® polyester
  • 250gsm
  • Washable up to 40°C in a large capacity machine. Tumble dry at a low temperature. Do not iron

 

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Velfont Igloo Cooling Mattress Protector

Velfont Igloo Cooling Mattress Protector

This Velfont temperature-regulating Quilted Mattress Protector provides a constant microclimate for your sleeping environment, not too hot, not too cold. This cooling mattress protector is ideal for people who experience fluctuations in temperature at night. The thermo-regulating Outlast® fabric acts as a buffer from changes in temperature and humidity during the night that affect sleep, creating a constant microclimate throughout the night. Helping to maintain a constant temperature, this mattress protector does all the work while you enjoy a peaceful sleep, letting you wake up feeling and looking more refreshed. The thermo-regulation of this 100% cotton quilted mattress protector also helps to reduce body perspiration as air circulates inside the filling thereby eliminating moisture that can accumulate and ensuring effective breathability. A fully elasticated skirt prevents this cooling quilted mattress protector from moving while you sleep.

  • 100% cotton blended with thermo-regulating Outlast® fabric
  • 100% cotton filling
  • For mattress depths up to 35cm and lengths up to 200cm
  • Fully elasticated skirt
  • Machine Washable at 40°C
  • Suitable for tumble drying on low
  • Ideal to be used with memory foam mattresses and pillows
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