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Topics: Sleep, Women's Health, Menopause, Health, Life
Madison Burgess
Topics: Sleep, Women's Health, Menopause, Health, Life
Have you ever found yourself jolting awake in the middle of the night, only to find that it's still the early hours of the morning?
Well, you wouldn't be the only one, as thousands of women around the world have actually been experiencing the exact phenomenon at 3:29am in particular - and there's an interesting reason behind why.
As per the NHS, a healthy adult usually needs around seven to nine hours of sleep and having long stretches of bad or disrupted rest can have a negative impact on both our physical and mental health.
So, repeatedly waking up can be a real annoyance, especially at such a random time that's hours away from the time your alarm would usually go off.
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But, it turns out that it's actually so common, it's resulted in a study being published on the topic, revealing why this time is so popular for women in particular to be waking up.
As we say, evidence from a slew of studies suggests that women are significantly more likely than men to experience disrupted sleep.
And it's largely down to the hormonal fluctuations we go through, from the menstrual cycle to perimenopause, menopause, and even pregnancy.
A study by Dunelm, shared by The Mirror, found that the average time many menopausal women wake up is at 3.29am.
For those who need a reminder, menopause occurs when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels and it usually affects women between the ages of 45 and 55, however it can happen earlier. It causes a long list of symptoms including anxiety, mood swings, brain fog, hot flushes, irregular periods and disturbed sleep.
The study in question found that a whopping three-quarters of women find themselves awake during the early hours of the morning, before the UK's average wake-up time of 7am.
As per Sleep Foundation, during and after the menopausal transition, you also have an increased risk of developing insomnia.
The Insomnia Clinic even states that ‘60 percent of women’ have insomnia as their most common symptom associated with menopause.
The Dunelm study also found that 30% of people who wake up at 3.29am read a book, with the same percentage opting to social media. Another 20% try to get through it by watching some TV, and 17% admit to just staring at the clock.
Essentially, when you're going through the menopause, your body produces increasingly less estrogen and progesterone - the hormones involved in the reproductive cycle.
This leads to a whole slew of symptoms and changes in your body that can affect your sleep
Sleep Foundation outlines that following the menopause, many women experience a weakening of their circadian rhythms - the body's internal 24-hour clock that regulates cycles of sleep.
And during the big M, the estrogen withdrawal causes your brain to become more reactive to temperature changes.
So, will lead to cooling processes including sweating, at lower core body temperatures, which in turn leads to hot flashes and night sweats, making you wake up suddenly.
If you have been affected by the contents of this article, please find more information and support via Menopause Matters on their website, or email [email protected].