A body scan for sleep in menopause

So many women tell me it is not the falling asleep. It is three in the morning, when the mind switches on like a kitchen light and starts on the shopping list, the work email and something you said in 1994.

A body scan is one of the gentlest things I know for these nights. You do not have to empty your mind. You only have to move your attention slowly through the body, and let each part soften. The mind follows.

You can read it below and do it on your own, or listen to me guide you through it in the full video.

Before you start

Lie on your back, or on your side if that is kinder. Let the bed hold all of your weight. If you are warm, push the cover off one leg. There is no wrong way to do this.

The body scan

1. Breathe. Breathe in through your nose, and let a long, slow breath out through your mouth. Again. Let the out-breath be longer than the in-breath.
2. Your face. Notice your forehead. Let it be smooth. Let your jaw loosen, so the teeth are not touching. Your tongue rests.
3. Your shoulders. Let them drop away from your ears. A little more. They have been carrying a lot today.
4. Your arms and hands. Heavy, warm. Let the fingers uncurl.
5. Your chest and belly. Feel them rise and fall on their own. You do not need to do anything.
6. Your hips and legs. Let them sink into the mattress. Heavy, like warm sand.
7. Your feet. Notice your toes. Let them go soft.
8. The whole body. Now feel your whole body at once, from your head to your toes, resting.

If a thought comes, that is all right. Notice it, like a car passing outside, and come back to where you were in the body. If you are still awake at the end, start again from the face. Slowly.

Gute Nacht, my dear.

When it is more than a bad night

Night sweats, a racing heart, or many weeks of poor sleep are worth talking about with your doctor. There is help, and you do not have to just put up with it.