Why Does Menopause Affect Sleep?
If your sleep suddenly feels different in your 40s or 50s, you’re not imagining it. From waking hot at 3am to lying awake with a busy mind, sleep disturbance is one of the most common symptoms experienced during the menopause transition. So, what’s actually going on?
Menopause and sleep: what’s the connection?
Menopause is caused by changing and ultimately falling levels of reproductive hormones, particularly oestrogen and progesterone. Perimenopause is the transition leading up to menopause, during which hormone levels can fluctuate and periods usually become irregular.
And these changes don't only affect your periods.
Sleep can change too.
The British Menopause Society reports that around 40–56% of menopausal women experience difficulty sleeping, while a 2024 meta-analysis involving more than 29,000 women estimated the prevalence of poor sleep quality during menopause at 50.8%.
One of the characteristic patterns is not necessarily getting no sleep at all. Research describes menopause-associated sleep disturbance as involving more frequent night-time awakenings and more time spent awake after initially falling asleep.
Sound familiar?
1. Your hormones are changing
Oestrogen and progesterone are involved in processes that influence sleep, and research suggests that their fluctuation and decline during the menopause transition can contribute to sleep disturbance.
But menopause-related sleep problems aren't usually down to one hormone or one cause. Current evidence suggests they're often multifactorial, with hormonal changes interacting with temperature regulation, mood, physical health and other sleep conditions.
Which explains why the experience can look so different from one woman to another.
2. Night sweats can wake you up
Hot flushes and night sweats, known collectively as vasomotor symptoms, are a major contributor to disrupted sleep during menopause.
A night sweat can interrupt sleep and leave you awake long after the initial episode has passed. Studies examining sleep objectively have found an association between hot flushes and awakenings during the night, although the relationship is complex and not every awakening is caused by a hot flush.
The NHS also notes that difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep can be worse when night sweats are present.
So if you're repeatedly throwing the duvet off, pulling it back on and staring at the clock, temperature may be part of the picture.
3. Your mind might have other ideas
Menopause isn't purely physical.
Low mood, anxiety and changes in emotional wellbeing can occur during perimenopause and menopause, and these factors can interact with sleep difficulties. Equally, sleeping badly can leave you feeling more stressed, irritable and tired the following day.
It can become an unhelpful cycle:
Poor sleep → tiredness and stress → difficulty winding down → more poor sleep.
Which is why looking after sleep during menopause isn't an indulgence. It's part of looking after your overall wellbeing.
4. It might not all be menopause
This is an important one.
Not every sleep problem that appears during midlife is automatically caused by menopause.
Reviews highlight other sleep conditions, including obstructive sleep apnoea, restless legs syndrome and insomnia, which can occur during this life stage and may need specific assessment or treatment.
If sleep problems are persistent, severe, affecting your daily life, or accompanied by symptoms such as significant snoring or breathing interruptions, it's worth speaking to your GP rather than assuming you simply have to put up with them.
So, what can you do?
There isn't one perfect menopause sleep routine, because the cause of poor sleep differs from person to person.
But there are some sensible places to start.
Keep your bedroom cool. If night sweats are an issue, the NHS recommends lightweight clothing and keeping your bedroom cool at night.
Look at your triggers. Caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, hot drinks and smoking can aggravate hot flushes for some people.
Keep your sleep schedule consistent. Going to bed and waking at broadly consistent times can help support healthy sleep habits.
Make winding down part of the evening. Relaxing activities before bed can help create a clear transition between the day and sleep.
Don't struggle alone. CBT can help with menopause-related sleep problems, and there are medical treatment options where appropriate. A GP or menopause specialist can help identify what's driving your symptoms and discuss suitable options.
Your sleep deserves some attention
For years, poor sleep has been treated almost like an inevitable part of menopause.
It shouldn't be ignored.
Sleep disturbance can affect how you feel, think and function during the day, and menopause specialists increasingly emphasise the importance of recognising and addressing it.
At Dreem Distillery, we believe your evening doesn't need to become another complicated wellness regime.
Start small. Run the bath. Put the phone away. Dim the lights. Create a ritual you actually look forward to.
Because whatever stage of life you're in, sleep deserves a place in your wellness routine.
Where does Dreem Distillery fit in?
At Dreem Distillery, we believe better sleep starts with a better wind-down, particularly during periods of change.
Our sleep rituals combine natural ingredients, sensory cues and broad-spectrum CBD to make switching off at the end of the day feel a little easier. From a warm magnesium-rich bath to a calming foot massage and Night Drops before bed, they're designed to become simple, consistent parts of your evening routine.
CBD, the endocannabinoid system & sleep
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a naturally occurring compound found in the hemp plant. Unlike THC, it doesn't produce a “high”.
CBD interacts with a number of biological systems in the body, while the body's own endocannabinoid system (ECS) is involved in processes including sleep and circadian rhythms. Researchers are continuing to investigate how cannabinoids such as CBD may interact with these pathways and what that could mean for sleep and wellbeing.
Early research into CBD and sleep is promising and a recent study found improvements in insomnia symptoms among participants using CBD.
That's why we don't believe in promising a menopause miracle. Instead, Dreem Distillery is about creating a natural, more consistent bedtime ritual at a time when good sleep can feel harder to come by.
The Dreem Distillery menopause wind-down
RUN THE BATH
Start with The Z's Anchoring Bath Salts, combining magnesium-rich Epsom and Himalayan salts with natural aromatics and broad-spectrum CBD to turn your evening soak into a proper moment to switch off.
MASSAGE & UNWIND
Massage Dreem Melt® Magnesium Butter into feet and calves as part of your bedtime ritual. Its lavender scent and massage ritual make it an easy cue that the day is done.
MAKE BEDTIME A RITUAL
Finish with Night Drops, our peppermint broad-spectrum CBD oil, designed to slot simply into your existing bedtime routine.
No complicated sleepmaxxing. Just small, consistent rituals that make winding down something to look forward to.
Your sleep deserves some attention
For too long, poor sleep has been treated almost like an inevitable part of menopause.
It shouldn't simply be ignored.
If menopause is changing your nights, start by understanding what's behind it. Speak to your GP or menopause specialist when you need support, and don't underestimate the value of the small things you can control at home.
Keep the room cool. Put the phone away. Run the bath. Dim the lights. Create a wind-down ritual you actually look forward to.
At Dreem Distillery, that's where we come in.
Because menopause might change your sleep. It doesn't mean you have to stop prioritising it.
References
- Maki PM, Panay N, Simon JA. Sleep disturbance associated with the menopause. Menopause. 2024;31(8):724–733.
- British Menopause Society. Managing sleep disturbance during the menopause transition. 2025.
- Jia Y, Zhou Z, Cao X. Prevalence of poor sleep quality during menopause: a meta-analysis. Sleep and Breathing. 2024.
- NHS. Symptoms of menopause and perimenopause.
- NHS. Things you can do to help menopause and perimenopause symptoms.
- Lampio L et al. / systematic review evidence on ovarian hormones and perimenopausal sleep disturbance. The role of ovarian hormones in the pathophysiology of perimenopausal sleep disturbances.
- Baker FC. Optimizing Sleep across the Menopausal Transition. Climacteric. 2023;26(3):198–205.Miranda A, Peek E, Ancoli-Israel S.
- The role of cannabis and the endocannabinoid system in sleep regulation and cognition: A review of human and animal studies. Behavioral Sleep Medicine. 2024;22(2):217–233.
- Ranum RM et al. Use of Cannabidiol in the Management of Insomnia: A Systematic Review. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. 2023.
- Kesner AJ, Lovinger DM. Cannabinoids, Endocannabinoids and Sleep. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience. 2020.
