Can the menopause cause you to wake up early and then be unable to get back to sleep?

Yes this is a very common complaint in the menopause.

It can be caused by the adrenal glands having to work too hard to deal with the stress in the body that the change in hormones can induce.

Basically, prolonged stress depletes the adrenal glands and then when you get to the menopause, which is essentially a stressful situation for the body, the adrenals are less effective at doing their job of balancing the cortisol and adrenaline levels in the body.

So, I would suggest trying Dormeasan. This is a traditional herbal remedy to help support sleep and stress responses in the body. You can take this 30 minutes before bed and also once upon waking to help you get back to sleep.

Also, to help your adrenal glands and ability to sleep, I would take a good B vitamin complex in the morning and a magnesium supplement at night (powder or liquid is best). Your local health food store would help but if you do not have a good one nearby, you could get the products online - BioCare B vitamins are good, as is Salus Haus liquid magnesium.

And, to help your body adjust in general, avoid all sugars, refined grains, caffeine and alcohol as much as you can.

For more advice on managing symptoms in the menopause have a look at our Menopause Extra pages.

I hope this helps,

Marianna