Night Sweats & Sleepless Nights: What’s Really Going On in Menopause?

If you’re tossing and turning at 2am, waking up drenched, restless, and wondering if you’ll ever get a full night’s sleep again, please know this: you’re not alone.

Night sweats are one of the most common reasons women in perimenopause and menopause struggle with sleep. They’re uncomfortable, disruptive, and often come out of nowhere just when you’ve finally nodded off.

So let’s talk about what’s really going on… and what you can do to help.

🌡️ What Causes Night Sweats During Menopause?

Night sweats are essentially hot flushes that hit during sleep, and they’re linked directly to changes in your hormone levels, especially oestrogen.

As your oestrogen levels decline, it disrupts the part of your brain that controls temperature regulation (your hypothalamus). That means your body can overreact to the smallest changes in temperature, causing a sudden spike in heat, rapid heartbeat, and excessive sweating.

These episodes can:

• Wake you up suddenly (sometimes more than once in a night)

• Leave you feeling clammy, anxious, and exhausted

• Lead to disrupted sleep cycles and low mood the next day

And the impact goes beyond physical comfort. Poor sleep = poor hormone balance, and the vicious cycle continues.

😴 How to Reduce Night Sweats and Sleep Better

The good news? You don’t have to suffer through it. While you may not be able to stop night sweats overnight (pun intended), there are ways to support your body and reduce their intensity and frequency.

Here are simple, natural strategies that can make a real difference:

1. Cool Your Sleep Environment

• Use breathable bedding (cotton or bamboo sheets)

• Try a cooling pillow or fan near your bed

• Keep the room temperature around 16–18°C (your hormones will thank you in the morning)

2. Avoid Heat-Triggering Foods in the Evening

• Limit caffeine, spicy foods, alcohol, and sugar in the evening

• Stay hydrated, but avoid big gulps of water just before bed

3. Support Hormonal Balance Naturally

• Add foods rich in phytoestrogens (flaxseeds, chickpeas, tofu), as these can mimic oestrogen

• Consider speaking to your GP or specialist about HRT or supplements like magnesium

4. Create a Calm, Consistent Bedtime Routine

• Turn off screens an hour before bed

• Take a warm bath to help lower core body temperature

• Try mindfulness or guided sleep meditations

• Aim for 7 - 9 hours sleep every night and go to bed at the same time, even on weekends.

5. Track Your Sleep Patterns

Notice when night sweats are most intense, before your period? After alcohol? During high-stress days? Knowledge is power when creating your routine.

🛏️ Want Real-Time Support?

I’m hosting a free Facebook Live inside Menopause Breakthroughs to help you sleep deeper, wake fresher, and feel more like yourself again.

🌙 THE SLEEP EDITION

🗓 Thursday 19th June
🕢 7:30PM
📍 Live in the Menopause Breakthroughs Facebook Group
👉 Click here to mark yourself as going

We’ll talk about:

• Why your sleep changes during menopause

• How night sweats affect your hormone health

• Simple, doable tips for creating a soothing night-time routine

• What’s in my personal sleep toolkit (spoiler: magnesium and mindfulness play a big role)

Whether you’re waking up too hot, too often, or too exhausted to function, you deserve rest that restores you and your hormones.

Join us and let’s get you sleeping better, naturally, gently, and with support every step of the way.

James Duff
Menopause Well-being Practitioner | Life & Nutrition Coach | TempleSpa Consultant