A problem shared by mother-of-four and GP Clare Bailey: Is my new insomnia down to the menopause?

Q Having slept well for years, I’m suddenly battling insomnia. Not only do I struggle to fall asleep in the first place, I tend to wake in the early hours and can then take a couple of hours to fall back to sleep. I’m in my late 40s — could it be linked to the menopause? Or could it be general anxiety caused by these last few trying years? What can I do about it?

A I’m sorry to hear you are suffering from insomnia, which is a common but distressing condition that not only leaves you at greater risk of a range of problems, from cancer to heart disease, but can also lead to anxiety and depression.

The menopause alone can certainly trigger severe insomnia. That’s partly because when you start to go through the menopause, levels of the critical sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone fall, and this often leads to hot flushes, mood disorders and sleep problems.

DR CLARE BAILEY: The menopause alone can certainly trigger severe insomnia. That’s partly because when you start to go through the menopause, levels of the critical sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone fall

Whatever the cause of your insomnia one of the key things you can do to improve it is to get into a regular pattern (File image)

When it happened to me, I found the hot flushes disrupted my sleep. This may be of little consolation, but you are not alone: around 60 per cent of post-menopausal women report occasional insomnia. And because hormonal changes mean many midlife women put on weight, they also report snoring, which further disturbs your sleep.

So, what can you do? Well, whatever the cause of your insomnia one of the key things you can do to improve it is to get into a regular pattern: going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time every day.

A morning walk is important for resetting your internal clock, which needs bright light to realign it. A brisk walk is also a great way to reduce anxiety.

What you eat also plays an important role in how you sleep, which is why I recommend a Mediterranean-style diet, rich in oily fish, veg and legumes. The combination of omega-3 fatty acids from the fish, and fibre from the veggies, has been shown to help sleep. Cutting back on sugary treats is also important because we know junk food contributes to anxiety. I post many recipes for healthy meals on Instagram.

You report waking up in the early hours, which is a common form of insomnia, and there are ways you can address this. First, practise deep breathing, such as 4-2-4. You breathe in to a count of four, hold your breath for a count of two, then breathe out again to a count of four. Make your breaths deep, so you can feel your belly rise and fall.

If this isn’t working, then after ten minutes or so perhaps get out of bed, find a quiet spot and read or listen to music. Do not go on your phone or start looking at social media. When you start to feel tired, head back to bed.

Finally, you may want to consider Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). A trial involving more than 400 post-menopausal women found that those taking HRT reported suffering significantly less insomnia. 

You’ve probably seen the headlines suggesting cooking with a microwave, rather than switching on the oven, to save on soaring energy bills. I use ours daily, but had a sneaking feeling that it might damage nutrients.

In fact, the microwave tends to preserve these in food better than other cooking methods. However, it does matter what container you use when microwaving. Many plastics contain harmful hormone-disrupting substances, which can leach into your food. 

So only use containers if they are labelled microwave safe. And always check food is cooked through.

You can write to Clare at [email protected] or Daily Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT.