Struggling with night sweats? Your not alone, a 2021 study by Massey University found nearly 60% of New Zealand women aged 45-65 struggle with sleep disturbances, with hot flushes and night sweats being the biggest culprits.
But what causes these night sweats, and what can you do to manage them better so that you can achieve deeper, more comfortable sleep during menopause? We spoke to Dr Anna Fenton Gynaecological Endocrinologist at Oxford Women’s Health to learn more.
Anna, tell us about your background in Menopausal health?
I’ve been involved in menopause health care for over 30 years. I was lucky to complete my specialist training in Melbourne which is a centre of excellence in this area. After returning to New Zealand I got together with a group of colleagues in the early 1990s to form the New Zealand Menopause Society and we then merged with our Australian counterparts to form the Australasian Menopause Society. I served on the Board of the AMS and as president. I also had the privilege of working as co-editor in chief of the International Menopause Society journal, Climacteric, for 10 years. All of these activities enabled me to work with other passionate doctors and healthcare professionals and bring the best of care to New Zealand women. It’s been an amazing part of medicine to be involved in and you do feel like you are making a difference to women’s lives.
So what exactly causes menopausal night sweats?
We have only just started to understand this in recent years. The loss of oestrogen, the main female hormone, at menopause leads to chemical changes in the brain that affect the body’s thermostat. Women can feel both colder or hotter than before menopause.
How long do these night sweats last?
They often begin some years before our periods stop and in some women that can be as early as their late 30s. Then they tend to continue for 7-8 years on average after our periods stop at menopause.
The truth is, you may not be able to eliminate night sweats entirely, but there are things you can do to help reduce these fluctuations in temperature, so that you can enjoy a more comfortable (and less sweaty) sleep.
Proven Tips For Managing Night Sweats
Avoid late-night workouts: To ensure your body has time to cool down, make sure any exercise you do is finished a few hours before bedtime. You'll sleep so much better if you are active everyday but the timing matters!
Go Au naturale: Ditch your satin PJs in favour of natural fibres. Cotton, linen, bamboo and wool all breathe much more effectively than synthetics making you less likely to wake up feeling like your stuck to your sheets!
Know your triggers: Spicy food, coffee, even that cheeky nightcap can trigger night sweats. Try cutting them out before bed to see if you notice an improvement, and if you do - introduce them again one-at-a-time to see which is the culprit (warning: it could be all three!)
Keep the room cool: Pop a fan in your bedroom or crack a window to let some fresh air in. A cooler room can make a world of difference when you're dealing with night sweats, the ideal temperature might be cooler than you realise with 16-18°C seen by experts to be the 'sweet spot'.
The Right Fill: What's on the inside does matter. Take a look at the table below to see how common bedding materials affect your sleep temperature.
| Feather & Down | Soft and luxurious, but not great for hot flushes. It traps heat, which can lead to waking up feeling sweaty |
| Memory Foam | While it offers great support, memory foam retains a lot of heat & is therefore not the best option for hot sleepers. If you own a memory foam mattress, using a mattress topper made from a natural fibre like cotton or wool will help. |
| Polyester / Down Alternative | This synthetic material is durable & easy to clean but retains heat and doesn’t breathe well, leading to fluctuating temperatures & discomfort through the night. |
| Cotton | A breathable option, cotton is soft and affordable, but it tends to absorb moisture without wicking it away, leaving you feeling damp. |
| Linen | Naturally cooling and breathable, linen is great for airflow and has some moisture-wicking abilities. |
| Wool | Wool stands out with its unique temperature-regulating properties, wicking moisture away from your body and releasing it into the atmosphere to keep you & your bedding dry better than any other fibre, making it an excellent option for women going through menopause. |
"Wool has excellent temperature regulating qualities and suits many women at menopause. It's often lighter than other choices and minimises the damp, sweaty feeling many women experience at night"
- Dr Anna Fenton
The 2021 study which showed nearly 60% of women aged 45-65 struggled with their sleep, also showed the women that switched to wool bedding had a 30% improvement in sleep satisfaction compared to those in the study sleeping under cotton or polyester.
Shop our range of New Zealand wool bedding made with our extremely lightweight one-of-a-kind Flok Web here or feel free to reach out with any questions.
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