Is Weightlifting Good for Insomnia During Perimenopause?
Can weightlifting help with insomnia during perimenopause? Find out how strength training improves sleep quality and what to know before you start.
Insomnia in Perimenopause
Poor sleep is reported by more than half of perimenopausal women. It takes many forms: difficulty falling asleep, waking frequently through the night, early morning waking, or waking from night sweats and struggling to settle again. The causes are multiple. Oestrogen and progesterone both influence sleep architecture, and their fluctuation disrupts the body's natural cycles. Elevated evening cortisol, anxiety, and the discomfort of physical symptoms all compound the problem. Over time, sleep deprivation worsens every other perimenopause symptom, from brain fog to mood to hot flash frequency. Improving sleep quality is therefore one of the highest-leverage things you can do for your overall wellbeing.
What Research Says About Weightlifting and Sleep
Multiple studies have found that regular resistance training improves sleep quality in middle-aged and older women. It tends to increase total sleep time, reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, and improve sleep efficiency, meaning more of your time in bed is spent actually sleeping. The mechanisms include reduced anxiety and stress, better body temperature regulation, increased daytime physical tiredness, and improvements in adenosine, one of the brain's sleep-pressure chemicals that builds up during waking hours.
Timing Your Workouts
One common concern is whether exercising too close to bedtime will make sleep worse by raising core body temperature and adrenaline. The evidence on this is less alarming than many assume: for most people, moderate exercise in the evening does not disrupt sleep. That said, if you find high-intensity sessions within two hours of bed leave you wired, shift them to morning or afternoon. Morning training has the added benefit of reinforcing your circadian rhythm, which is often disrupted in perimenopause.
Practical Approach to Lifting for Better Sleep
Two to three strength sessions per week is the sweet spot for sleep benefit without over-stressing the body. Focus on compound movements that are physically demanding but not so intense that they spike cortisol. Finishing sessions with a brief cool-down and some gentle stretching helps bring heart rate and core temperature down gradually. Hydration after training matters too: dehydration disrupts sleep. Tracking your sleep quality alongside your workout log in PeriPlan can help you find the timing and frequency that works best for your body.
Pairing Lifting with Sleep Hygiene
Weightlifting is most effective for insomnia when it sits within a broader sleep strategy. A cool, dark bedroom, a consistent bedtime and wake time, limited caffeine after midday, and reduced evening alcohol all work in the same direction. For night sweats specifically, moisture-wicking bedding and a room fan can reduce disruptions that weightlifting alone cannot address. If anxiety is driving your insomnia, the calming effects of regular strength training tend to take three to four weeks to become noticeable, so persistence through the early weeks matters.
When Sleep Problems Need More Help
If insomnia is severe or has persisted for months despite lifestyle changes, talk to your GP. Perimenopause-related insomnia often improves significantly with HRT. Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is also highly effective and works well alongside an exercise programme. Sleeping tablets are generally a short-term measure, but your GP can advise on what is appropriate for your situation.
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