Sleeping well is good for the skin, mood and makes you feel less appetite and – obviously – fatigue. Here’s how much and how to sleep to get the most benefits.
Sleeping makes you beautiful, inside and out. Getting enough (and good) rest, in addition to being a physiological need of the body, is a real beauty treatment for your face and even your body. Furthermore, a good sleep has many other beneficial effects on your well-being:
- good for the mood
- promotes the ability to concentrate
- consolidates the memory
Sleeping is therefore essential for both the body and the mind. Over the years, however, the hours of sleep can physiologically decrease because as we age , the number of neurons in the anterior hypothalamus (the ones that “tell us” to sleep) decreases . At the same time , the quality of rest is also lowered , often interrupted by a series of awakenings.
In this article, we explain how much sleep is necessary to get the benefits of night rest and what can be done to do so and limit any sleep disturbances that can be a consequence of menopause.
Because sleep can become difficult in menopause
In menopause, sleeping well can become difficult . Difficulty in falling asleep , interrupted rest or real insomnia, or even blinding sleep at certain times of the day which then do not turn into a peaceful and truly restful sleep. Even some discomfort and discomfort typical of the climacteric could contribute to disturbing sleep, such as hot flashes that make you sweat at night, sometimes a lot, or episodes of nocturnal tachycardia .
The main cause can be identified in hormonal changes that could be responsible for an alteration in the sleep / wake rhythm .
Sleeping an adequate number of hours is therefore essential. Although the canonical “8 hours of sleep” can become difficult to obtain, let’s see how and why you should try to promote uninterrupted rest, putting into practice a series of measures that can improve your state of relaxation and therefore promote a good rest.
Sleeping is good for the skin
Sleeping well benefits your beauty. In fact, the cell regeneration process takes place during the night . This is critical to slowing down aging due to your body producing new cells that replace dead ones and the peak in collagen production occurs . Collagen is that “magic” protein that makes tissues more compact. It is no coincidence that it is a fundamental component of beauty creams that promise to be an elixir of youth: it makes your face appear full and not “empty”.
In fact, it is advisable to use a good night cream rich in collagen to “optimize” the hours of sleep by exploiting the synergy with a good cosmetic treatment.
During the night, the body secretes melatonin a hormone that helps establish the correct balance between sleep and wakefulness , it also has a “beauty” function because it is a very powerful antioxidant and affects the hydration of the skin at night.
This gives us the explanation for another phenomenon: to sleep well it is important to be exposed to light during the day . This stimulates the production of melatonin and helps regulate sleep.
Because sleep is good for the mood
Getting enough sleep also benefits your mood by driving away tiredness and nervousness . The lack of adequate night rest, in fact, causes stress to the organism because the mind and body have no way of having that rest that is necessary from a physiological point of view to ensure proper functioning.
Many scientific studies have shown how, in the case of too little sleep hours and for several consecutive days, the hormones related to stress enter the circulation: cortisol, noradrenaline and thyrotropin .
On the contrary, a good restful sleep clears the levels of these substances promoting stability in mood and greater resistance to stress. This translates into vitality and desire to do , which can concern both practical and work activities and pleasant interests and hobbies: what makes you operational and can make you satisfied and happy.
Your daily satisfaction is even more important because in menopause, preserving your emotional stability is essential : mood swings and irritability could already be a typical trait of this phase and, added to sleep disturbances, could create a harmful mix for quality of your life.
Because sleeping helps keep you fit
A good sleep is also a friend of your figure because a rested body keeps calorie consumption constant . Insomnia, on the other hand, can promote the tendency to gain weight because it creates an imbalance between the body and hormones, the consequence of which can be an increase in the sense of hunger .
It is the so-called “nervous hunger” , the most dangerous for the line because it is the one that is usually “satisfied”, so to speak, with high-calorie sweets and snacks. In this period it is essential for you not to fall into the vicious cycle of insomnia-nervous hunger because, due to the decrease in estrogen production, they could already increase tendency to gain weight , bloating and water retention .
How much and how to sleep better
A sleepless night can happen to anyone, but if you get up more tired almost every morning than how you went to bed at night, you need to try to understand the causes and try to find a solution . Here are some tips to help you rest well and make the most of the benefits of sleep:
- Listen to your body: every woman is different and only you can know how much night rest you need to feel good . As the years go by, the hours of sleep necessary for a satisfying rest decrease in a physiological way. It can probably take 5 or 6 hours continuously for your body to recover. The important thing is that they are hours of quality sleep.
- Take care of your diet: favor light meals, especially in the evening, based on vegetables and whole grains . Green light also to foods rich in magnesium (nuts, seeds, legumes) because they help relax the muscles. No to red meat especially in the evening, because it is not the friend of a good sleep, and in the same way avoids spicy or spicy foods and alcohol . Contrary to what you might imagine, the light-headedness of a glass of wine doesn’t help you sleep better.
- Practice regular physical activity : even if light, it is a real cure-all for ensuring a good night’s rest. If you prefer gentle disciplines, yoga and pilates can help you fight insomnia because they promote relaxation. Especially in these days when the emergency forces you to stay at home, take the opportunity to attend yoga or relaxation classes at a distance. They will help you more than you can imagine. Avoid practicing any type of physical activity in the evening: the adrenaline put into circulation could make it difficult to fall asleep.
- Take care of sleep hygiene: make sure your room is not too heated (in winter 18 degrees may be enough), choose sheets and blankets in natural fabrics , as well as nightwear (avoid synthetics that do not allow the skin to breathe)
- bring water to the bedside table so you can cool off without getting up if by chance you wake up hot at night
- undertake not to go to bed with smartphones and tablets in hand: the blue light they emit is an obstacle for the eyes that try to fall asleep and an overstimulation for the brain which should, instead, relax.
- If you like, let the music play sweet and relaxing, by programming the automatic shutdown.
Before going to sleep:
- Relax with a herbal tea based on valerian, mallow, hawthorn or chamomile and a good book : they can become an important ritual to promote relaxation and “prepare” for a good night’s sleep.
- Pampered and pampered : time spent with your partner can also promote a good night’s rest. Don’t be discouraged if intimate annoyances and discomforts change intimacy . Continuing to love in menopause can and must . There is a lot that can be done to counteract disorders that could impact your peace of mind as a couple, such as pain during intercourse ( dyspareunia ) and vaginal atrophy . Contact the gynecologist ( https://www.ilmiopiccolosegreto.it/ginecologo/ ), the only one who can identify the appropriate treatments for you.
- If that may be the only way to ensure a good night’s sleep, p separate bedrooms . But first read here how to make this a solution to safeguard your sleep without leaving your partner .
