Over the course of one month, we analysed daily Google Trends data to identify patterns around people’s search habits for terms related to sleep and the signs of menopause. Each day, from the hours of 9.00pm – 7.00am, we looked at search interest values for the search terms: ‘night sweats’, ‘menopause’ and ‘perimenopause’, ‘tired’, ‘can’t sleep’, ‘stress’, ‘anxiety’ and ‘insomnia’. 

The figures provide relative interest signals that signify a measure of popularity for each search term, with data displayed in time increments and a scale of 1-100, with 100 showing the highest search interest. The figures were then added up across the four-week period to create total figures for each search term. 

Although the search data is gathered from people of all ages and genders across the UK, the specific search terms analysed can give an indication into the sleep struggles experienced by midlife women across the country. 

When combining data from all the search terms we analysed over the course of four weeks, 2am-3am was the most active nighttime searching hour. On three out of the four weeks, this time slot was when the highest volume of all monitored search terms took place during the night.  

If you’re one of the many people up at 2am, struggling to sleep and wondering if your hormonal shifts are to blame, this suggests that there may be lots more people in the same boat.

Dr Nikki Ramskill said that the 2am findings mirrored what women tell her in her clinic every day, as well as her own experiences.  

She explains: “There probably isn't one single biological event that happens at exactly 2am, but there are several reasons this can become a particularly difficult time of night.

Looking closer into each specific search term offered some additional interesting insight into people’s early morning search habits.  

The search term ‘menopause’ had the fourth highest search volume of all terms that were monitored across the four-week study period, and 5am - 6am was when people searched for it most. This is when ‘night sweats’ was also searched for most, and while the term had the lowest relative search volume across all terms monitored due to its niche nature, looking at when it was Googled does showcase a pattern for those going through midlife hormonal changes. 

‘Anxiety’ had the highest relative search volume overall across the four weeks of the study, with 2am – 3am being the time slot when it was most commonly searched for. This was followed by ‘stress’, which was searched for at different times during the four-week study, while ‘can’t sleep’ had the least search volume overall.  

Dr Nikki said: “During perimenopause, oestrogen and progesterone fluctuate significantly before eventually declining. Progesterone starts declining first, followed by oestrogen. These hormones influence far more than our reproductive system. They affect the brain, nervous system, temperature regulation, mood, the different stages of sleep we go through in the night, and our response to stress. 

“One of the most important areas involved is a brain structure called the hypothalamus, which acts as the body's thermostat. As oestrogen levels fluctuate, the hypothalamus becomes much more sensitive, narrowing what we call the ‘thermoneutral zone’. That means even tiny changes in core body temperature can trigger the body's cooling response, resulting in a sudden hot flush or night sweat that wakes a woman from deep sleep. 

“We're also learning more about the role of neurokinin B, a brain signalling molecule that becomes more active when oestrogen levels fall. This appears to play a key role in triggering vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats. At the same time, falling progesterone can reduce some of the calming effects many women previously experienced, leaving them feeling more restless or ‘wired but tired’. 

“Sleep is also influenced by neurotransmitters such as serotonin and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), both of which are affected by hormonal change. This helps explain why sleep disruption, anxiety, mood changes and brain fog often occur together rather than as isolated symptoms. As a result, many women don't simply struggle to fall asleep, they can wake repeatedly throughout the night and often feel as though they haven't slept at all.”

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“Sleep is one of the foundations of good health, so when it suffers, almost everything else becomes harder. Poor sleep affects the brain's ability to regulate emotions, process memories and concentrate. That's why women often describe feeling more forgetful, more irritable and less able to cope after a series of bad nights. 

“One of the things I often tell patients is that poor sleep doesn't just make you tired, it amplifies almost every sign of menopause.” 

“Don't suffer in silence because you think it's "just part of getting older." I meet so many women who've accepted years of poor sleep because they've been told it's normal or that they simply have to put up with it. 

“Poor sleep deserves to be taken seriously. It can affect physical health, mental health, relationships, work performance and overall quality of life. There are effective treatments available, and no woman should feel she has to struggle alone.”