She's certainly not one shy away from opening up, and now Nadia Sawalha has revealed all about how far the menopause is currently affecting her day to day life in a candid chat.
Chatting on her Instagram account, Nadia – who has spoken about incontinence and hair loss as a result of the menopause before – waded in on a chat about her insomnia.
She confessed to her 53,000 followers that she’s been struggling with a lack of sleep recently, which has left her questioning how to battle through the day.
Speaking to her followers, she said, “Anyone else feeling like I do today? I feel about 100 years old. I probably had maximum four hours sleep – it goes with the menopause, lovely.
“I’m just sitting here trying to work out how I can fake it to make it.”
Nadia went on, admitted that she’s not sure how she’s going to hold down normal conversations throughout the day, She joked, “How I’m going to respond when anyone speaks to me, but inside I’m going, ‘Oh my god, I’m so tired, I can’t think, I just want to go under the duvet and go to sleep!’”
Before reaching out to her fans, saying, “Anyone else feeling like that? C’mon, lets fake it ’til we make it together…”
And plenty of her social media followers appeared to agree that they were suffering similar issues. One wrote, ‘Yup Feeling like this today really awful’.
While another wrote, ‘Yes I too feel your pain menopause can go do one xx’.
And a third agreed, saying, ‘Absolutely! I just got up & put one foot in front of the other. Some days, that’s the best I can do.’
It’s not the first time Nadia has spoken about the troubling menopause symptom. On Loose Women a few weeks ago, panellists were discussing their experiences with tiredness And, giving her opinion, Nadia seemed to suggest how much her lack of sleep is affecting her sex life with husband Mark.
“I feel pretty rubbish. It’s just night after night, lying in bed and nothing happens – it’s causing problems between me and Mark,” she suddenly admitted to the audience.
“There’s a bit of stress and anxiety and it’s almost physical, you know, the ramifications of it. I’m getting frustrated and stressed.”
Nadia’s searingly honest answer left the panellists shocked, with Andrea McLean admitting “I didn’t expect that answer”.
Mum-of-two Nadia even admitted that whatever technique she tries to help her sleep, nothing seems to work.
“I’m just so tired, I keep waking up, I feel nausea. I’m an eight hours a night person, always have been.
“I can’t move in case I wake anyone up at night. And I’m doing mindfulness and concentration and my breathing but I just – and I know loads of women will feel the same – I feel like a ghost walking through life.”
Heartbreakingly, she then admitted, “I feel isolated and lonely.”
Menopause insomnia
Sadly, Nadia isn’t the only woman going through these kind of menopause symptoms. Menopause insomnia is a common part of the process, with the Sleep Foundation reporting that as many as 61% of women report insomnia symptoms in that life stage.
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Often, issues with sleep can sometimes cause or exacerbate conditions such as anxiety or depression. Chronic tiredness is well-known to have an impact on our mental health, so it’s vital to seek help if you can.
It’s important to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regime in order to aid with sleep, and ensure that all technology distractions, such as a phone or an iPad, are kept out of the bedroom before it’s time to sleep.
