Night sweats, cold feet and insomnia
Nearly all women will experience cold feet, night sweats and insomnia during or after menopause. These are three common and bothersome symptoms of the menopausal transition. Understanding why cold feet, night sweats and insomnia occur is the first step to managing these symptoms. The articles below provide practical and important information about cold feet, night sweats and insomnia.
What are cold feet and night sweats and insomnia?
• Cold feet are caused by poor circulation. A number of factors can contribute to this but during menopause, lowered hormone levels can result in slower circulation which can cause a tingling sensation in the feet.
• Insomnia is the inability to sleep through the night. During perimenopause in particular, women can wake up in the early hours and find it difficult to get back to sleep. It is often the case that after waking up women will experience night sweats.
• Night sweating is a natural body function that helps the body remains fresh. People sweat when temperature is hot, when they exercise or when in situations that make them nervous, upset or embarrassed. This happens because releasing heat through perspiration helps the body keep a healthy temperature.
Read on to find out about the causes of cold feet and night sweats and insomnia.
What causes cold feet and night sweats and insomnia?
One of the most common causes of cold feet and night sweats and insomnia is the hormonal changes related to menopause. Normally, the hypothalamus (heat regulatory area in the brain) regulates body heat according to the surroundings. If it’s hot outside, it forces the body to release heat; and if itīs cold outside the body retains heat. However, cold feet and night sweats and insomnia are produced because the hypothalamus starts overproducing heat.
Declining levels of estrogen hormones related to menopause are responsible for the malfunction of the hypothalamus which detects an increased body temperature and releases chemicals that cause the skin blood vessels to dilate so the heat can be released; therefore, prompting cold feet and night sweats and insomnia. Keep reading to learn about managing cold feet and night sweats and insomnia.
How can I manage cold feet and night sweats and insomnia?
The following tips can help you to deal with cold feet and night sweats and insomnia more effectively:
• Get up and walk around your bedroom in order to restore circulation and to tire yourself out so that youīre ready to fall back to sleep.
• Eat a balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables to improve circulation and control night sweats.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol, especially late at night.
• Keep your bedroom cool.
• Donīt exercise in the three hours leading up to your bedtime.
• Establish a good sleep pattern by going to bed at regular times.
• Wear light pajamas or sleep naked.
• Try not to eat in the two hours before you will go to sleep.
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