Everyone knows how important a good night’s sleep is for your physical and mental health. So it’s a worrying statistic that insomnia is thought to affect a third of Brits at some time in their life – and women are believed to struggle more with their sleep than men.
‘Due to the hormonal changes caused by perimenopause and menopause, women over 40 can find themselves particularly susceptible,’ explains physiologist and sleep therapist, Dr Nerina Ramlakhan. ‘Also, for many women, the post-40 years are the so-called “sandwich years” in which women are juggling professional commitments, dealing with ageing parents and errant teenagers.’
The most common sleep problems are difficulty getting to sleep (sleep initiation) and difficulty staying asleep (sleep maintenance). ‘Sufferers can become more prone to infections, migraines and headaches, skin problems and this can then lead to more serious health issues,’ says Dr Ramlakhan. ‘Chronic insomnia also affects mood and emotions and can both cause and exacerbate mental health problems.’
Here, Katie, Natalie, Fran and Tracy reveal what solutions they found that finally
