Q: I am 50 and went onto a daily supplement programme for 3 months following the health detective report. The night sweats and insomnia disappeared, I felt more rational than I had done for a while and in generally better health. The programme came to an end in December 2007. 

 
I’m now on the keeping healthy programme (for over 40 yrs of age) and the night sweats and insomnia have returned to some degree. While I know from experience that while even small amounts of caffeine and alcohol do not help, if I avoid them completely the night sweats in particular can still occur. Is there anything from the daily supplement programme that I should go back to help with this, please?  I would appreciate your advice.

 

A: With the daily supplement programme that you took for three months you had a good multivitamin and mineral supplement (MenoPlus), vitamin C, linseed oil, B complex, zinc citrate, Garcinia cambogia, a black cohosh formula (Black Cohosh Plus) and a bone supplement. You are now taking the keeping healthy programme which is just the multivitamin and mineral, linseed oil and the vitamin C.

As the menopause transition can take a while and you have noticed that the night sweats and insomnia have come back since changing the programme I would suggest that you add back in the black cohosh formula (Black Cohosh Plus) first to the keeping healthy programme. This may be all you need to add in to see the difference that you first felt. Stay on this for another three months and then gradually, taking it a week at a time, reduce the capsules from three a day to two a day and then one a day. This weaning process will allow you to see whether you don’t need them anymore and also whether you need on stay on say two a day for another month and then reduce down to one.

As women we are all different and will experience the menopause in different ways so you will be able to judge the effects of the herbs and how much you need to take. If the black cohosh formula is not enough on its own, then add back in the B complex but if you add in the black cohosh first then you will know whether you need the B complex or not. You don’t want to take supplements you don’t need or to have extra expense. If you are not sure then you could always repeat the health detective. 

New mothers who manage to get enough shut eye between feeds are more likely to get their figures back than those who are sleep deprived. The very latest research from Harvard Medical School and published in December 2007 in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that there may be a crucial link between sleep deprivation and inability to lose weight once the baby has arrived.

According to the researchers, an extra two hours a night can make a major difference because it is thought that sleep triggers hormone changes which make women hungrier. The study of 1000 new mothers found that those who were sleeping for five or less hours when their babies were six months old were three times more likely to be carrying an extra 11 pounds at their baby’s first birthday than those who got between 6 and 8 hours.

 

It’s been known for some time that sleep deprivation is associated with weight gain and obesity but this study shows that getting enough sleep – even one or two hours more – may be as important as healthy diet and exercise for new mothers who want to return to their pre-pregnancy weight. Quality sleep is, of course, hard to achieve on a regular basis with a crying baby but the important message of this study is that getting the proper amount of sleep – between 6 to 8 hours – every night is not a luxury but a necessity. It’s essential not just for weight control but for the overall health of a new mum and presents a great opportunity for partners, family and friends to help with the baby.

Not only are afternoon naps one of the best ways to fight fatigue recharge your batteries according to sleep experts, scientists have also discovered that a nap can help lower your blood pressure.

In a study at Liverpool’s John Moores University, volunteers had their blood pressure, heart rate and blood vessel dilation checked. They were then divided into three groups – some had to stand quietly for an hour; others lay down; while the remaining third went to sleep. The sleeping volunteers had a significant reduction in blood pressure and heart rate while the other two groups did not. It is thought that this blood pressure reduction may explain the lower rates of death from heart disease in Mediterranean and Latin American populations where siestas are common.

 

To get the full benefits of an afternoon nap; schedule your nap between 1 pm and 3 pm; any later and you will find it hard to get to sleep at night. Aim for around 20 minutes shut eye; as studies have shown this is the optimum napping time to improve your daytime performance and productivity.