What causes menopause sleep disruption and hot flashes?
Unfortunately, we really do not know. Neuroendocrinologists have postulated that the activity of the pituitary gland, the hypothalamus, and almost every endocrinology hormonal system for that matter, peaks between one and three o’clock in the morning. They guesstimate that this is probably the reason why hot flashes and sleep disturbances occur more often at night. Poor sleep is also correlated with low estrogen. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we understand that one to three o’clock a.m. corresponds to the liver channel, and many of the pathologies associated with menopause are due to liver yin exhaustion that causes liver and kidney deficiency. Yang energy thus rises because there is not enough yin to anchor the yang, and hot flashes occur or you wake up between the hours of one and three a.m.
