TV presenter and menopause advocate, Louise Minchin, has launched a campaign with bedding retailer Woolroom to raise awareness of the ways in which the menopause disrupts sleep.
Minchin has spoken openly about the difficulties she faced with the menopause, stating that it was “a miracle” that she was able to do her job.
In line with ‘Menopause Month’, Woolroom has commissioned a study of 1,008 peri-menopausal, menopausal, and post-menopausal women to discover how symptoms of the menopause affect sleep. Results found that eight in ten (83%) women deal with disrupted sleep during this time, with a large majority (74%) suffering from night sweats.
“I suffered from night sweats, sometimes two to three times a night, and often five days a week. It’s a miracle that I was able to get up and do my job! The menopause had a very real impact on me, it was incredibly physical. I had heart palpitations, tinnitus, all sorts,” TV presenter Louise Minchin said.
“I remember an important interview with then Chancellor George Osbourne outside a JCB factory. I couldn’t say the letters JCB, it was deeply embarrassing. It was when it started affecting the way I did my job that I realised I had to get some help.”
According to Woolroom’s research, 68% of women find that being too hot is the biggest barrier to good sleep, with one in every 14 of women (7%) taking a bag of frozen peas to bed with them.
Working with Leeds University, the brand have concluded that wool bedding is the ‘secret’ to helping women experiencing symptoms of the menopause ‘stay cool’ and get a good night’s sleep. Wool bedding reportedly allows 43% more moisture transmission than that off polyester bedding.
Woolroom managing director and Clean Sleep expert, Chris Tattersall, added: “Symptoms of the menopause are clearly having a profound effect on Louise and women around the UK, and as a result, they are fighting back against substandard slumber and are going to extreme measures to do so.
“Luckily women may not need to take extreme measures like putting pillows in the freezer or kicking their partners out of bed to stay cool at night. The answer could be with something as simple as wool bedding and sleepwear due to wool’s temperature regulating properties.”
