Why do I get sleep disruption while driving during perimenopause?

Experiencing sleep disruption while driving during perimenopause is common, and the timing is not random. Your body's hormonal fluctuations interact with your environment, activity level, and stress response to trigger symptoms at specific moments.

While driving, your body may be more susceptible to sleep disruption because of factors like temperature changes, physical exertion, stress hormones, or blood sugar fluctuations. Estrogen helps regulate many of these systems, and when levels are unpredictable, your body's response becomes less predictable too.

Practical strategies: Pay attention to what happens in the 30 minutes before sleep disruption starts while driving. Common triggers include caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, warm environments, sudden stress, and blood sugar drops. Once you identify your personal triggers, you can plan around them.

Logging when sleep disruption occurs while driving helps you build a clear picture of your patterns and share useful data with your healthcare provider.