21 October 2023 , 07:00
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Dame Kelly Holmes has admitted she would wake up at 3am and struggled to get to sleep due to a hidden symptom of the menopause.
The double Olympic gold medalist didn't realise insomnia was related to the menopause. She even created a WhatsApp group with her friends called the 'Wide Awake Club' after she noticed all of her mates were having trouble sleeping too. They would all chat in the middle of the night after waking up between 3 and 4 am. It is only now that Kelly has realised it was because of the menopause that they were all waking up at that time.
"We didn't know, we were just messing about because we couldn't sleep," Kelly confessed to The Mirror. She explained she didn't know what to expect from the menopause and insomnia was one of those symptoms for Kelly. Symptoms can start for women in their 40s, and Kelly explained: "Now I think a lot of women are trying to reflect on if I was really sleeping bad at any time in my life, could that be the menopause or can I contribute that to stress, and anxiety, which we all get in our day to day lives."
Kelly has teamed up with Dunelm to offer tips on how to get a good nights sleep (www.heliosphotography.co.uk)When she first started waking up in the middle of the night, Kelly would stay in bed. She admitted: "I would be thinking out it so much, trying to get back to sleep, that it would wind me up." Now she makes sure she gets out of bed to get a warm drink, moves around and uses breathing techniques. Kelly added: "I was always into sleep sprays anyway, and I was also into having a warm bath before I go to bed, I do that a lot more now. Because that regulates the temperature as well, apparently, even if you have hot flushes having a hot bath regulates your temperature."
She has also created a calming space in her bedroom to create a better sleep environment. This includes thick curtains, low lighting and cooling products such as gel pillows, cooling sheets and fans. Sleep patterns is something Kelly has always had to monitor. As an athlete, she had to take twenty minute power naps and before a big race she would need to get a good sleep in two nights before. She knew her sleep would be disrupted with worry ahead of a big race.
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Kelly explained: "I think this is the issue women because once your heads whirling of worrying about 'have I got this', 'what's happening', 'I've got the sweats' and 'I have taken HRT'. Body pains that come in, 'I'm feeling irritable', you have so many things and emotions that will disrupt your sleep anyway, but I think as women you get that more.
Kelly has teamed up with Dunelm to help perimenopausal and menopausal women get a better night sleep, as the most common time women are taking up is 3:29am. They have come up with tips and advice for women to ensure they can sleep better. The research, conducted by sleep experts at Dunelm, found that 69 percent of women said menopausal insomnia has had a negative impact on their emotional wellbeing, while half didn’t realise insomnia was a symptom of the menopause.
Kelly's tips for perimenopausal or menopausal women can be found here.