How to Sleep Well in Menopause Without Drugs, Part 2
This week, I’m back talking about sleep, one of the three pillars of health in Ayurveda– a cornerstone for a healthy life.
The last blog on sleep was all about creating a wind down routine for yourself.
We’re continuing down the road of those mid-life, perimeno/menopause experiences. If you’ve missed any in the series, they’re here:
Good sleep sets us up for so much, and without it, we may feel like we’re not even really living our lives fully.
Ayurveda has many, many ways to help with sleep, and because everything is connected, some may seem unrelated to sleep itself. I wanted to give you a few less obvious tips to help with sleep.
Hopefully you’re familiar with some of the ones pretty commonly talked about in our culture:
Cut out caffeine or decrease it as much as possible to only mornings
Get enough exercise/movement (but don’t over do it- to a sweaty glow without depleting yourself to exhaustion)
Manage your stress (ah, I know, it’s said a lot and is vague on it’s face)
Make the bedroom a sanctuary (avoid activities other than sleep and sex in the bedroom).
Unobvious, simple tips that may seem unrelated to sleep (but they so ARE):
☀️Get sunlight on the eyes at sunrise and sunset
This helps the pineal gland align with the circadian rhythm. It helps shut off melatonin in the morning and produce it at night
Keep lights low after dark and avoid screens (mimics sunlight) at least an hour before bed
I love that the ancient wise ones that passed down Ayurveda knew this without all the technical terms!
🌊Hydration: early in the day
This supports the liver, thus indirectly supporting sleep. However, we want to get the majority of our hydration early in the day, and not drink more than a half-cup of water with food (digestive teas are fine).
Hydrating too late in the day can result in getting up lots of times during the night! Not hydrating at all may impede getting a good night’s sleep.
🍜Make lunch the biggest meal of the day, eat a light dinner
Eat a light dinner, like a soup or simple rice and spiced veggies, at least three hours before bedtime
Eating a heavy meal before bed means our body is working to digest that meal, and not our day; it can also keep us from falling asleep as easily or staying asleep
Remember that it is a combination of how we’re living our lives and the accumulation of what we do (nourishing or not) that often is contributing to our struggles.
Simple works, though it's doesn't seem sexy at first--- but once you experience the subtle in your life start to result in big changes over time, I promise you, it is VERY sexy.