A doctor posted this in response to an article about menopausal insomnia and I'm thinking whoa!!! maybe he's right!!
I’m happy to see that doctors are looking at sleep issues as another source of menopausal symptoms, rather than a “hormonal thing”.
But from a hormonal standpoint, it’s interesting to note that progesterone, which declines in menopause as well as estrogen, is a known stimulator of tongue muscle tone. As one gradually loses the tongue’s reflexive ability to maintain the airway, especially during deep or REM sleep (when muscles relax), one can have frequent total or partial obstruction and arousals. Not all are severe enough to be called apneas, but enough to cause sleep disruption and other various neurologic symptoms.
Since inefficient sleep can promote weight gain, increased fat in the throat can slowly progress into true sleep apnea in some women. This can aggravate or even lead to depression, anxiety, poor focus, etc.