Waking at 3 a.m., soaked or wide awake, is one of the most common complaints in perimenopause. In the SWAN study of 3,045 women, trouble falling asleep and staying asleep became more common through the transition. Here's why it happens (night sweats, hormones, mood and a learned wake-up habit) and what the research says helps you sleep again.

Free 2-minute stage check: https://perimenostage.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=ep03_3am

Chapters

0:00 Intro

0:19 What changes

0:44 Three reasons

1:27 When it counts as insomnia

1:42 What helps

3:16 At 3:07 itself

3:55 When it's something else

4:24 Why it matters

4:53 Wrap-up

Sources

• Sleep through the menopause transition, hot flashes, hormones and hormone use (SWAN, 3,045 women): PubMed 18652093

• CBT for insomnia by phone in women with hot flashes (insomnia score −9.9 vs −4.7 points; 84% vs 43% in the no-insomnia range at 6 months): MsFLASH trial, PubMed 27213646

• Menopause-specific CBT for sleep problems linked to hot flashes: NICE guideline NG23

• Hormone therapy and hot flashes (about 75% fewer): JAMA review 2023, PubMed 36749328

• Bedtime micronized progesterone in perimenopause (review, limited trial evidence): Prior 2011, PubMed 24753856

• Insomnia and fatigue among the top menopause symptoms in women 40–60: 2023 survey, PubMed 37667324

• Memory in SWAN: PubMed 19470968

• Sleep needs, long-term insomnia, sleep habits, sleeping pills: NHS, Insomnia

For information only, not a substitute for advice from your own doctor. Loud snoring with gasping or daytime sleepiness, or sleep problems with low mood, deserve a doctor's look.