How to sleep better during menopause: Top foods to add and avoid

In this episode of Joyful Menopause, host Lynda Enright discusses how sleep disruptions are common for women in midlife, often due to menopause. 

She explores the impact of diet on sleep quality, focusing on foods rich in magnesium, tryptophan, and those that regulate blood sugar. Lynda also shares dietary and lifestyle tips to improve sleep, such as avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and refined carbs. 

The episode concludes with a success story of a client named Christine, who transformed her health by following these recommendations. Practical and science-based, this episode offers actionable advice to help women achieve better sleep and overall wellness during menopause.

00:00 Introduction to Sleep Disruptions in Midlife

01:29 Understanding Hormonal Impact on Sleep

02:09 Foods to Improve Sleep Quality

05:05 Foods to Avoid for Better Sleep

06:33 The Role of Physical Activity in Sleep

07:40 Christine's Transformation Story

09:30 Conclusion and Final Tips

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2. For more information about Lynda and how she supports women on their health journey, click here to learn more.

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Transcript

0:00

If you have found yourself wide awake at 2 a. m. feeling hot, restless, and frustrated, you are not alone. 60 percent of women in midlife report sleep disruptions, which are often tied to menopause. And while there are many factors, today we're going to focus on one area that's both simple and powerful. Hello and welcome to joyful menopause, where we dive into all things, wellness, nutrition, and health specifically for women navigating the years of perimenopause and menopause. I'm your host, Lynda Enright. And today we're addressing a topic I hear about all the time from the women I work with in my practice in this stage of life, sleep or rather lack thereof. Diet plays a significant role in how well we sleep, especially in midlife when our bodies are already managing hormonal changes. If you are lying awake frustrated in the middle of the night or just want to prevent that from happening in the future, you'll learn today how to set yourself up for a good night's sleep and what foods to avoid to keep from making things worse. And I have a really great story at the end today about Christine who has truly transformed her life and health with just one of the choices I'm going to talk about today. So let's get started. Menopause doesn't have to feel like you are living in someone else's body. Your host, Lynda Enright, has spent the last 25 years helping women to thrive in midlife. Here you'll find science based practical advice that you can start using today to get real results for your health. Welcome to Joyful Menopause. First, let's talk about what's going on inside your body that might be keeping you up at night. When estrogen and progesterone decline, it can impact your cycle, and it can also create a perfect storm of sleep problems. Their impact on your quality of sleep can include hot flashes or night sweats, increased restlessness, and less feeling calm at bedtime, and then difficulty entering REM sleep and getting into that deep, restful phase of your sleep at night. This is a normal process. Estrogen and progesterone naturally decline during this phase of life, but you can make choices that support relaxation and stabilize your blood sugar, two big factors in improving sleep quality. Let's start with the foods that can give you an advantage when it comes to sleep quality. There are three categories, foods that are rich in magnesium, those high in tryptophan, and foods also that support healthy blood sugar regulation. These are the three foods that are rich in magnesium, those high in tryptophan, and foods also that support healthy blood sugar regulation. Magnesium rich foods are important because magnesium is really good at calming your nervous system and promoting relaxation. Magnesium has the potential to improve sleep quality by helping your muscles relax and supporting the production of melatonin. which is your natural sleep hormone. Foods that are great sources of magnesium include leafy green vegetables like spinach, kale, collard greens, and swiss chard. Nuts and seeds, things like almonds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. Whole grains like quinoa and farro. And avocados are particularly high in both magnesium and potassium, which helps. Muscle relaxation. Try adding these to your evening meal. For example, you might have a kale and quinoa salad with avocado and a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds. And that would be a powerhouse side to your meal that could give you a good boost of magnesium. We're talking today about foods that can help you to have a better night's sleep. Next, let's talk about foods that are high in tryptophan, which can be helpful for sleep because tryptophan is an amino acid that converts serotonin, which then converts into melatonin. And melatonin is the hormone that tells your brain that it's time to rest. Foods that are high in tryptophan can help us gently prepare our bodies for sleep, especially when paired with a small amount of complex carbohydrates to support their absorption. Some tryptophan rich foods to consider. Turkey and chicken is one you've probably heard a lot about, that post Thanksgiving sleepiness. There's actually a real reason for that. Eggs, a scrambled egg on whole grain toast could be a great combination. Nuts and seeds again, especially pumpkin seeds, which are rich in magnesium and tryptophan. And soy foods, like tofu or tempeh. So if you have dinner around 6 or 7, you might consider a small tryptophan rich snack around 8. 30, like a hard boiled egg or a couple slices of turkey on whole grain crackers. Lastly, we want to help to keep blood sugars in check. Choosing protein, nourishing fats, and complex carbohydrates are good choices. Unlike refined carbs and simple sugars, which spike your blood sugar and lead to that sugar crash, complex carbs, protein, and fat digest more slowly, Helping to stabilize your blood sugar levels through the night. This is important because a dip in blood sugar can actually wake you up, leaving you feeling wide awake and alert in the middle of the night. A great dinner might include grilled salmon, roasted sweet potatoes and a side of spinach with maybe a sprinkle of sunflower seeds. Again, powerhouse. This meal combines complex carbs, magnesium, and tryptophan rich protein, a great combination for a good night's sleep. We're talking about foods that can impact your sleep quantity and quality. Of course, while adding the right foods can make a difference, avoiding certain foods and drinks is equally important. Some foods can interfere with sleep by stimulating the nervous system or causing blood sugar spikes. First on the list is caffeine, which I know might feel obvious, but it's worth mentioning because even just one afternoon coffee or tea can impact sleep for some people. And for others, you might be surprised that even drinking too much caffeine in the morning can disrupt sleep at night. So if you're sensitive to caffeine, try limiting it to the morning hours and cutting back on quantity as well. Second, let's talk about alcohol. Many people think a glass of wine will help them relax, but actually alcohol disrupts the sleep cycle, especially the deeper stages of sleep. While it might help you fall asleep faster, it often leads to lighter, more fragmented sleep and frequent wake ups in the night. For both caffeine and alcohol, I encourage you to give it a try and see if it makes a difference. It doesn't for everyone, but my experience is it helps a lot of women during perimenopause and menopause. If you know, then you get to decide if it's worth it. Finally, sugary foods and refined carbs, things like white bread, pasta, or sweets. These foods can cause a blood sugar spike and then a crash, which can lead awakenings. Aim to replace refined carbs with complex ones with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, especially in the evening. We've talked about foods that can have an impact on your sleep quality, but before we wrap up, I want to mention a bit about physical activity. While diet plays a big role, regular movement can also improve sleep quality by helping to tire your body and reduce stress. There are a few things your body needs to fall asleep. One of those is high levels of adenosine. Maybe you've never heard of that. We get this compound by burning off energy. Doing even 20 to 30 minutes of moderate exercise like walking or gentle yoga can promote better sleep by helping your body to burn off energy. But also avoid intense workouts right before bed as that can get you more wound up. During the day, finding time for exercise can go a long way towards a better night's sleep. Alright, so that's a lot to take in, but to sum it up, if you want to improve your sleep in midlife, focus on adding magnesium rich foods, tryptophan sources, and complex carbs to your diet, avoiding or minimizing caffeine, alcohol, and refined carbs, particularly in the evening, and move your body. These simple shifts can go a long way in helping you find the restful, restorative sleep you deserve. And before I go, I want to tell you about my client, Christine's transformation. Christine came to me because she was frustrated. She hadn't been able to lose weight and she was tired of hot flashes and the brain fog she was experiencing. One of the first things she told me is she thought it was protein. She knew she wasn't eating enough and she thought maybe that was what was standing in her way of getting results. Christine had a busy job and was working 50 to 60 hours a week. She was helping to take care of elderly parents and spending time with her grandkids. Her stress level was quite high and she was sleeping about four hours each night and was too exhausted to get any exercise in. The first thing I worked on with Christine was her quality and quantity of sleep. Christine started making changes to her diet, adjusting some of the things we've talked about with magnesium and tryptophan, and helping to regulate her blood sugar, and she started moving more. It was hard at first because she was so tired, but she really found that was a deal breaker, that when she started getting more physical activity, In addition to the dietary changes, she started sleeping. And of course, she started feeling so much better. Her brain fog was much improved, her hot flashes were reduced, and she started losing weight. Now that she was feeling better, she found it easier to plan and prep meals, and adding in more vigorous exercise was making her feel a lot better and continuing to improve her sleep and stress. and help her reach her goals. She told me that no one had ever explained to her the relationship between her sleep and all the symptoms she was experiencing. Once she started approaching her health choices with this new perspective, she finally got to a place where she felt really great. I really like Christine's story because I find it is similar to lots of women I work with in my practice who are in their forties, fifties, and sixties. Busy job, family demands, high stress, not enough sleep. And as you can see from Christine's story, results really are possible. Thank you for joining me today. If you found this episode helpful, click to subscribe and stay tuned for more insights on thriving during menopause. Until next time, take care of yourself and here's to feeling your best every day.