Sleep disturbance is commonly reported at menopause. As well as practising mindfulness, breathing and incorporating restorative exercises such as yoga. Having a good bedtime and morning routine is key to help manage symptoms, as is setting up your sleep space for optimal sleep.
Having a warm bath or shower before bed can help with vasodilation, the bodies natural way of cooling down. So although it may seem counter intuitive, this can help with hot flashes and night sweats that can disturb your sleep. After your bath, you can apply a scented lotion, burn lavender oil or get some lavender pillow spray.
Stopping all screens at least one hour before bed can help improve sleep quality, the blue light from phones, laptops and televisions have been proven to disturb sleep. If you do work late at night use a blue light filter or night mode to minimise exposure. Try reading a book instead or doing some meditation/breathwork, apps such as clam and headspace also have bedtime stories you can listen to. It can also be helpful to sleep with your phone out of your room.
It can also be helpful to set up your sleeping space for good sleep hygiene. Make sure no natural light can get into your room. You can do this with blackout blinds or wearing an eyemask. Some people are incredibly sensitive to light and can even be kept awake or have a disturbed sleep due to an alarm clock light or a phone light. It can be helpful to ensure you're not doing anything that could be stressful in your bedroom, as your body is more likely to associate it with sleep.
Try to get up at the same time daily, as lying in bed will make it harder to get to sleep at night. If you can get outside into natural daylight early in the morning, this also helps to set your body clock. Your body will then be more encouraged to produce more melatonin at the right time - melatonin is the body's sleep hormone.