How to Build an Evening Routine That Improves Sleep During Perimenopause
Struggling with broken sleep in perimenopause? Build an evening routine that calms your nervous system and keeps night sweats from wrecking your rest.
Why Sleep Gets So Hard in Perimenopause
Sleep disturbances are one of the most complained-about symptoms of perimenopause, and they are rarely caused by just one thing. Fluctuating oestrogen and progesterone affect the brain regions that regulate sleep cycles. Progesterone has a naturally sedative effect, so as it drops, falling and staying asleep becomes harder. Night sweats can jolt you awake multiple times a night, and the anxiety that often accompanies hormonal changes can make it almost impossible to switch off in the first place. The good news is that building a consistent evening routine gives your nervous system clear cues that it is safe to wind down, even when hormones are working against you.
Set a Consistent Wind-Down Time
Your body clock responds to repetition. Choosing a fixed time to start your wind-down, ideally 60 to 90 minutes before you want to be asleep, signals to your brain that the day is ending. This consistency helps regulate cortisol, which should be falling in the evening but can stay elevated when stress or hormonal changes disrupt the pattern. Pick a realistic time you can stick to most nights, including weekends. Even a 15-minute shift either way is enough to confuse your circadian rhythm over time. Think of your wind-down time as an appointment you keep with yourself.
Lower the Lights and Temperature Early
Bright overhead lighting tells your brain it is still daytime, suppressing melatonin production. Switching to lamps, candles, or dimmed lights from around 8pm onwards makes a noticeable difference to how quickly you feel sleepy. At the same time, start cooling your bedroom. The ideal sleeping temperature for most people is between 16 and 19 degrees Celsius, and women in perimenopause often do better at the cooler end of that range. Open a window, use a fan, or turn on air conditioning if you have it. A cooling mattress topper or moisture-wicking bedding can also help if night sweats are a regular problem.
Eat and Drink With Sleep in Mind
What you consume in the last few hours before bed has a direct impact on sleep quality. Alcohol is a common culprit. It may help you fall asleep initially but fragments sleep in the second half of the night, which is exactly when restorative deep sleep and REM occur. Cutting off alcohol at least three hours before bed is a reasonable starting point. Large or spicy meals eaten late can raise core body temperature and trigger hot flushes, so a lighter dinner finished by 7 or 8pm tends to work better. If you are genuinely hungry closer to bedtime, a small snack with protein and complex carbohydrates, such as oatcakes with nut butter, can stabilise blood sugar overnight without disrupting sleep.
Build a Relaxation Practice That Actually Works for You
There is no single relaxation technique that works for everyone, which is why it is worth experimenting rather than forcing yourself into a method that feels like a chore. Some women find a warm bath or shower helpful because the drop in body temperature afterwards triggers sleepiness. Others prefer gentle yoga, stretching, or a short breathing practice. Box breathing, where you inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold for four, is simple and genuinely effective at calming the nervous system. Reading a physical book, journaling, or doing a light craft can also work. The key is that it is screen-free and genuinely calming rather than stimulating.
Reduce Screen Use in the Hour Before Bed
Phones, tablets, and laptops emit blue light that suppresses melatonin and keeps your brain in an alert state. Beyond the light itself, the content tends to be stimulating. Scrolling social media, reading news, or replying to work emails all trigger low-level stress responses that make sleep harder to reach. Setting a screen curfew of 45 to 60 minutes before bed is one of the highest-impact changes you can make to your evening routine. If you struggle to stick to it, put your phone in another room or use app timers that lock you out of social apps after a set time each evening.
Keep a Notepad by the Bed for Busy Thoughts
Racing thoughts at bedtime are extremely common in perimenopause, partly due to lower progesterone and partly because anxiety tends to spike at night when there are no distractions. Keeping a small notepad on your bedside table for a quick brain dump before you turn the light off can interrupt the cycle of mental looping. Write down anything that is pulling at your attention, tasks you are worried about forgetting, worries, or anything unresolved from the day. The act of writing transfers the mental load somewhere external, making it easier for your brain to let go. This does not need to be a full journaling practice. Even three or four bullet points can make a real difference.
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