Will the End of Perimenopause Change My Insomnia?

I know that hormones affect my sleep patterns. Perimenopause has wreaked havoc on my body for years now. It has certainly agitated my insomnia and kept me awake a good bit throughout this wretched time of life. Now that the perimenopause transition is coming to an end and menopause is near, will this change affect my sleep patterns?

Will I get more sleep or less sleep?

When I first read that perimenopause may cause insomnia, I laughed. After dealing with insomnia for decades, I assumed it would be no different than what I had already experienced. I was wrong. I was very wrong.

Adding in hot flashes and night sweats made it harder to stay asleep. The additional anxiety that goes along with hormonal changes made it more difficult to go to sleep. My mind has always raced, but piling more anxiety on top of the existing anxiety made it so much worse. How will the transition affect my sleep? I am hoping to get more sleep because I do not think I could function on less.

How will the perimenopause transition affect my sleep patterns?

Perhaps there will be no noticeable change to my sleep patterns. I feel changes will take place slowly over time as my body adjusts to the hormonal changes of perimenopause ending and menopause beginning. After all, the transitional phase of perimenopause took over a decade for me. I do not feel like the issues it has caused will magically resolve overnight.

I think changes will happen so slowly that I seriously doubt I will notice them while it is happening. I did indeed notice when hot flashes started and kept me awake at night, but I feel like those fun nighttime surprises won’t go away suddenly. A lengthy transition seems likely, and I feel that by the time I notice a difference I will be able to reflect and see a slow change over time.

My experience with hormonal changes

Over the past decade, I have experienced almost every symptom of perimenopause I have ever seen listed. I have dealt with a ridiculous amount of forgetfulness but still remember enough to know this period of life has been no picnic.

I often lie awake at night wondering why perimenopause is such a difficult time of life. We didn’t have all these hormonal issues before puberty when our bodies don’t have the level of hormones we gain after puberty. Why can’t we just go back to that state when we reach the age of menopause?

Will I return to pre-perimenopause sleep patterns?

I really do wish I would go back to the sleep patterns I had before perimenopause. Although I did have insomnia, it was not nearly as bad as it is now. Will I be able to get a couple of extra hours of sleep each week after the changeover? Will I still find myself running on empty day after day? Will sleepless nights with perimenopause turn to sleepless nights with menopause?

Maybe it will make big changes and maybe nothing will change at all. I am both hopeful and fearful about what this next chapter will bring. Have you also dealt with insomnia, perimenopause, and menopause? What changes did you experience? Do you also feel uncertain about how perimenopause transitions will affect insomnia sleep patterns?

Please share your insomnia story and comment below.