Poor sleep and belly fat during menopause are connected: too little sleep makes you hungrier, increases sugar cravings and disrupts your stress hormones, so your body holds on to fat around your belly more easily. Falling oestrogen also often makes you sleep worse during menopause, which creates a vicious circle.
Do you recognise lying awake at night and wanting to eat more during the day, especially something sweet? Then you are not weak; your body is reacting predictably to a lack of rest. You can read the complete story about belly fat in belly fat during menopause: why now.
Why do you sleep worse during menopause?
Oestrogen and progesterone help your body relax and regulate your temperature. When these hormones fluctuate or drop, you are more likely to suffer from hot flushes, night sweats and waking up around three or four o'clock. This is also described on Thuisarts.nl. You can find more tips on sleep itself in poor sleep during menopause.
How does poor sleep lead to more belly fat?
Three mechanisms play a role:
- More hunger: after short nights, leptin (the satiety hormone) drops and ghrelin (the hunger hormone) rises.
- More cravings for sugar and fast carbohydrates: your brain looks for quick energy when you are tired.
- More stress: a short night keeps your cortisol higher, and cortisol stimulates fat storage around the belly. Read more in cortisol and belly fat during menopause.
What can you eat and do for better nights?
- Eat protein at dinner. It keeps your blood sugar stable and prevents night-time cravings.
- Stop caffeine after lunch. It stays in your body for hours.
- Limit alcohol in the evening. It helps you fall asleep, but disrupts your sleep afterwards.
- Keep your bedroom cool and dark. This especially helps with night sweats.
- Fixed times. A regular bedtime rhythm gives your body clock something to hold on to.
- Move during the day. Strength training and walking help both your sleep and your belly fat.
For extra support during menopause, take a look at our products for hormonal balance. An overview of all symptoms can be found in the perimenopause guide.
When should you see your GP?
If you barely sleep for weeks, feel low, or your symptoms limit your daily life. Also in the case of rapid, unexplained weight gain, it is wise to have a thyroid problem or another cause ruled out.
Would you like someone to look along with you?
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Frequently asked questions
Can poor sleep cause belly fat?
Poor sleep does not cause it on its own, but it contributes: you get hungrier and crave more sugar, and your stress hormone stays higher, which favours fat storage around the belly.
How much sleep do you need during menopause?
Most adults need seven to nine hours. During menopause that is often harder to achieve, so rest, fixed times and a cool bedroom are extra important.
Does sleeping better help you lose weight?
It helps regulate your appetite and stress, which makes losing weight easier. It works best together with protein, exercise and strength training.
Sources: Spiegel et al. (2004), Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite, Annals of Internal Medicine; Taheri et al. (2004), Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin, elevated ghrelin, and increased body mass index, PLoS Medicine; Thuisarts.nl (menopause and sleep).
So I am going to help you.
About the author: Fajah Lourens is the founder of Killerbody (since 2015), has written books of which 350,000 copies have been sold in total, and is an NLP practitioner.
