Sleep is critical for mental and physical health and is often disrupted during perimenopause and menopause.
Hormone therapy works for many women but for those with pre-existing sleep problems, those with significant insomnia, or those wishing to optimise the benefits of sleep, there are non-medication strategies proven to help.
Dr. Giselle Withers is a Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of experience in treating a range of mental health and chronic health problems, with a special interest in Sleep Psychology. She runs an Australia wide private psychology practice via Telehealth, called Avoka Health, with clinic rooms on the Gold Coast, and she is the founder of A Mindful Way, an online program for better sleep. The online program is the first of its kind, integrating mindfulness-based interventions with cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), and has been validated in a clinical trial, with another larger study underway in older adults. Giselle trains and supervisors other psychologists and PhD students in mindfulness-based CBTi. She also runs groups programs for women in the menopause transition to experience better sleep and more restful nights.
In this video, we discuss-
- Why sleep is important
- What is “normal”
- What happens to sleep during perimenopause and menopause
- What else beyond hormones might be disrupting sleep
- Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia
- Mindfulness to support sleep behaviour.
Here are the links mentioned in the interview-
Sign up for the e-book – A Guide to Better Sleep During Perimenopause and Menopause.
Free 24 minute meditation – Compassionate Body Scan Meditation for better sleep during perimenopause.
Free 15 minute meditation – Sitting With The Breath – mindfulness meditation recording.
Feel free to share it with women you care about!
