Menopause & sleep

Sleeping better in perimenopause and menopause

10 November 2026 · 5 min read

Lying awake at 3am, too hot, mind racing, knowing the alarm will go off in a few hours. If that sounds familiar, you're far from alone. Sleep changes are one of the most common parts of perimenopause and menopause, and there's plenty you can do to make nights a little easier.

Why sleep changes

As you move through perimenopause and into menopause, your levels of estrogen and progesterone rise and fall unevenly before settling lower. Those changes can affect sleep in several ways:

Hot flashes and night sweats can wake you, or leave you too hot to drift back off.
Anxiety and low mood can be more common, and a busy mind is hard to switch off at night.
Needing to use the bathroom more often during the night can break up your sleep.
Lighter sleep means you might wake more easily than you used to.

Add in work, family and everything else midlife can bring, and it's no wonder rest feels harder to come by.

7 gentle tips for better nights

Keep your bedroom cool. Open a window, use a fan, and choose light, breathable bedding and nightwear. Layers you can easily kick off work better than one heavy comforter.
Keep a glass of cold water by the bed. A few sips can help you cool down after a night sweat.
Stick to a rhythm. Going to bed and getting up at similar times, even at weekends, helps your body clock.
Go easy on caffeine and alcohol. Both can make sleep lighter, and for some women they can trigger hot flashes. Try having caffeine only before midday.
Make a wind-down routine. Dim the lights, put your phone away, and do something calming for 20 to 30 minutes before bed, like reading, a warm (not hot) bath, or a sleep meditation.
Move during the day. Regular activity, especially outdoors in daylight, can help you sleep more deeply. Try to finish anything vigorous a few hours before bed.
Don't fight being awake. If you've been lying awake for a while, get up, go somewhere dim and quiet, and do something restful until you feel sleepy again. Lying there trying to force sleep usually makes it harder.

For night-time wake-ups: cool, slow breathing

Try this when you wake up hot or with a racing mind. You can do it lying down, without turning on the light.

Let your arms rest by your sides, palms facing up, and push the covers off if you're warm.
Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of four. Imagine the air is cool, like a breeze through an open window.
Breathe out slowly through your mouth for a count of six or seven, letting heat and tension flow out with it.
Keep going for a few minutes. If thoughts pull you away, that's fine. Just come back to counting the next breath.
As your breathing settles, let the counting go and simply feel your body getting heavier and softer in the bed.

Menopause meditations in Lula

Try Hot Flash Calming (12 minutes) and Deep Sleep (16 minutes), both free in Lula. With Lula Premium you can also listen to Menopause Sleep Support, Reduce Perimenopause Stress and Embracing Menopause.

Get Lula

When to talk to a doctor: if poor sleep is affecting your daily life, or you have other symptoms that worry you, speak to your doctor. There are treatments that can help with menopause symptoms, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and other options, and talking therapies such as CBT for insomnia can make a real difference.

This article is for general wellbeing and isn't medical advice.