How we can get more and better sleep in midlife - Dr Zoe Schaedel - Middling Along
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Join me this time as we chat to Dr Zoe Schaedel: Zoe is a GP and an accredited British Menopause Society Menopause Specialist. She is currently a member of the British Menopause Society’s Medical Advisory Council, the Primary Care Women Health Foundation’s Education Committee and NHS England’s Menopause Improvement Programme Clinical Reference Group. She has developed a special interest in sleep and sits on the British Sleep Society Education Committee, is the co-founder of The Good Sleep Clinic, and has published articles on Menopause in The Lancet and Post Reproductive Health.
What a great, informative episode this is: did you know that sleep disturbances are one of the most common symptoms of the perimenopause? 40-60% of women report difficulties staying asleep, and waking more during the night!
We’ll cover:
How our bodies need to stay at a low and stable temperature to stay asleep
The impact of our symptoms (such as anxiety, needing to wee more, and hot/cold flushes and night sweats) on sleep and getting back to sleep between our 90 minute sleep cycles
Sleep hygiene tips (including light, temperature, and bedtime routines - bath, book and bed isn’t just for the kids!)
Why alcohol (yet again) is not our friend and leads to less REM sleep and more ‘micro-wakings’
What is sleep drive and why is it important?
The role of adenosine in sleep drive, how to increase it, and how caffeine acts on adenosine levels
How ‘putting the day to rest’ can help stop our busy brains keeping us awake and running through the mental load list at 4am!
How HRT can help with sleep in perimenopause
How CBTi works even on chronic insomnia
You can find Zoe at https://goodsleep.clinic/ and www.mylahealth.co.uk and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/zoemenopausedr/
The CBTi based sleep apps we discuss in this episode are Sleepio and Sleep Station.