Menopause sleepwear advantages over regular sleepwear

Perimenopause and menopause can introduce some unexpected changes into your life at a time when they are least welcome—maybe your career is taking off, your kids don’t need the hands-on attention they used to, your parents need extra attention…. You are finally able to focus on what YOU want to do, and then, along comes menopause.

Periomenopause symptoms

Starting in your late 30s, early 40s you may begin to experience some common symptoms of perimenopause such as mood swings, insomnia, migraines, and of course, hot flashes and night sweats. There is a host of symptoms that are linked to the decline in your sex hormones – in particular, estrogen – and by some counts, there are over 100 different mental and physical changes that are brought about by the decline in estrogen. While menopause is part of the natural aging process, not a ton of research or attention has been devoted to it (although that’s changing rapidly). In some cases, the symptoms can be debilitating.

Take hot flashes and night sweats as an example—they're the most common, yet underrated, menopause symptom. The North American Menopause Society estimates that approximately 75% of all women in some stage of menopause suffer from hot flashes and night sweats. Up to 25% of those women experience symptoms so severe, they need to see a health practitioner to help alleviate them.

If we estimate that there are approximately 35 million North American women in some stage of menopause (peri or post), per year, that means that around 26 million women are experiencing hot flashes and night sweats and of those, 6.6 million need to seek help from healthcare practitioners to help them deal with their hot flashes. That is no small matter. 

If you are in this cohort, you know just how debilitating hot flashes and night sweats can be. Night sweats are especially insidious because they rob you of your sleep. Worse, if you already suffer from another common menopause symptom – insomnia – night sweats will make your insomnia worse.

The simple act of sleeping can feel like an uphill battle. Now, pile on the drippy, swampy, sleepwear and bed linens and you might want to raise the white flag of surrender and walk around in a fog for the next few years (or more).

Fear not.

There ARE solutions to help you get through the night and get your sleep back. Because when you sleep well, you feel refreshed in the morning, and you can deal with all the other symptoms and challenges you have going on.

From Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to non-hormone treatments, there are a plethora of options to help you deal with your hot flashes and night sweats. Seek help by finding a certified menopause practitioner and get started on feeling better.

The remarkable benefits of menopause sleepwear

In addition to managing your hot flashes through HRT and alternative therapies, choosing the right sleepwear will help your comfort.

There is a new segment of apparel emerging called “menopause clothing and sleepwear.” There are several brands that are devoted to helping people who suffer from hot flashes and night sweats live more comfortably.

There is a distinct difference between real menopause sleepwear and regular clothing, even clothing that is touted as "breathable" or cooling. In general, regular sleepwear cannot respond to the changes in body temperature and moisture level the way menopause sleepwear was designed to do. When your body temperature is consistent, regular sleepwear will be comfortable and depend only on your fabric preferences. 

But when your internal body temperature is fluctuating a breakneck speed, you need sleepwear than can adapt to this new phase in your life.

What is menopause sleepwear?

Menopause sleepwear is made with very specific fabrics in styles that are designed to help manage heat and sweat, especially in the most affected areas - typically, the torso, chest and underarms.

Menopause sleepwear draws the heat and moisture away from the body, pushing them to the other side of the fabric quickly. The fabric rarely gets completely soaked because the drying process happens so quickly.

Don't overlook the chill phase of hot flashes/night sweats

If you have hot flashes or night sweats, you know that after a hot flash comes the chill phase. While some of that chill is due to your clothing’s dampness, it’s also due to your body temperature plummeting below your normal body temperature before rebounding. During this phase, heat-managing menopause clothing will keep some of the heat in its fibres and release it back to you as your body cools down.

This whole process of a fabric's absorbing and releasing heat and moisture can be described as self-regulating, or thermo-regulating, fabric. This type of fabric responds naturally to its changing environments. The result is that it helps flatten the feeling of the peaks and valleys of hot flashes and night sweats so that the wearer stays dry and comfortable.

A final feature of menopause clothing - and sleepwear in particular -  is that it is anti-bacterial. This is an important feature as it means it will control odour and need to be washed less often.

For menopause sleepwear, style matters

While women have different tastes regarding sleepwear styles, in general, most preferred sleepwear for night sweats is sleeveless, cap or short sleeved.

The neckline can also be varied from crew to v-neck. Generous armholes allow for comfort without too much pulling.

In our own experience here at CoolYourSweats, we’ve found that there is an equal split between those who prefer a nightgown to pjs.

We deliberately designed our Simone nightgown to be worn day or night as many of our clients find it useful for daywear when they are travelling to hot climates. Our Vanessa pjs are designed so they are equally versatile.

More than just "breathable" or "cooling" 

Watch out for terms like “cooling” and “breathability” as the only attribute of the product.

It’s a given that all menopause clothing and sleepwear will be breathable. “Breathability” means that a garment allows air and water vapour to pass through the fabric. You can read this post to find out more about breathable fabric.

Just because a fabric is breathable doesn’t mean that it is suitable for managing hot flashes.

For example, 100% cotton is breathable, but it is terrible as a hot flash fabric. Cotton loves water and clings to it when it’s in the fabric. Unless it’s a super light cotton fabric, it will likely stay damp for a long time. Further, cotton isn’t a great heat manager. It will not keep you comfortable during a chill phase.

A ”cooling” fabric may not be as cooling as it seems.

Take silk products, for example. Silk feels super cool when you first place it next to your skin. But after a few minutes, that silk will absorb the heat produced by your body and keep it next to you for much longer than you need, essentially, making your hot flashes feel worse. Silk is a natural thermal insulator.  In addition, silk does not play nice with water. Unless it’s washable silk, silk generally degrades over time when exposed to water.

In general, “cooling” fabrics will only feel cool initially. Once your body has transferred your heat to the fabric the important question is: how quickly will the fabric release heat so you stay comfortable?

Menopause sleepwear is designed to moderate heat and moisture

Look for brands that are specifically made to manage heat and moisture due to hot flashes and night sweats. These are brands that have done research and testing into what will help women feel comfortable while experiencing a hot flash. The types of fabric they choose to use will vary between all-natural to cotton/poly blends to 100% synthetic – but they are reputable companies who’ve created essential clothing lines for a previously ignored segment of the population.

The ultimate goal of menopause clothing and sleepwear is to help hot flash sufferers be more comfortable when hot flashes strike. Sleepwear made from fabrics that are specifically used for this purpose may help night sweats sufferers sleep better, drier and more comfortably promoting a  less disturbed, more restorative sleep.