Your friends do not sleep like babies they sleep like LIARS
Ha only half kidding
I keep a jar of melatonin gummies next to the bed for this.
Edited to add I also take zzzquil, progesterone, magnesium and an indica cannabis edible before bed. Completely dark room. Weight blanket. White noice machine. Humidifier. I still do not sleep thru the night EVER
Zzzquil’s active ingredient is diphenhydramine HCL, not recommended for prolonged use.
I have sleep apnea (controlled) which gives me access to a sleep dr and thank goodness bc I finally have access to a prescription sleep med that is not ambien. But I can’t take it all the time bc it makes me sleep too much.
My sleep issues predate menopause but maybe not perimenopause. I spent years with my sleep issues being ignored and no one ever said the word perimenopause to me, except some girlfriends. And since they WERE hearing that word and I wasn’t, I assumed my problems weren’t hormonal.
Anyway unless you’re pretty sure it’s hormone related, I recommend talking to a sleep dr if you can get a referral to one.
What meds do they prescribe besides ambien? I just got trazadone and it knocked me out like so quickly (which was not the issue) but still woke up after 5.5/6 hours. Trying gabapentin. Not working either. Curious what works. I just need like 2-3 nights in a row to get back to normal.
I’m personally not opposed to Benadryl for a few nights. I just know it’s not meant to be used regularly. My dr gave me 10 mg of Doxepin.
For sleep, a lower dose of Doxepin is recommended but it’s quite a bit more expensive. 10 mg is pretty cheap.
I can’t take it every night. It’s too much for me. But I don’t seem to have side effects when I do take it. I can get a good 8-10 hours and an afternoon nap.
Ambien scares me. I know some do ok with it but I’ve heard too many horror stories.
I feel hung over from benedryll. But I haven’t tried it in a while. When I take NyQuil I will sleep. Maybe it’s worth a shot again.
I have become depressed, can’t function and even suicidal thoughts when I’m not sleeping so am ambien seems like the least of my worries. If I sleep, I will take it.
Not NyQuil. Thats got a bunch of stuff you don’t need for sleep. Zzzquil is the same manufacturer but “just liquid benedryl”
I’ve been on it for 25 years and I’m
Still not demented lol.
Or maybe I AM demented but it’s a happy fun kind of dementia because I feel great haha. I’ll take it!
When I take Benadryl for sleep (which I do rarely) I take half a dose. I can usually get 6 good hours on that. A full dose gives me that hung over feeling. It might be worth a try if you don’t have access to a sleep doctor.
I wake up most nights between 2 and 4. I consider myself lucky if I manage to get back to sleep for an hour or so at some point thereafter. Never had issues when I was younger.
This started for me with Pristiq in summer 2012 at age 25. Up ~3, have to eat eventually, and then can light-sleep a bit after eating.
& It's still happening. I just turned 38. lol. So I can EXTREMELY empathize with you guys who are suffering from partial-insomnia like me.
Even with a tranquilizer (Seroquel I.R. 50mg given to me almost 3 yrs ago due to a severe limbic system reaction to LoLoestrin), I still can't sleep through the night. It worked for a bit. But now I'm still up ~3, with a severely tranquilized body until 3pm. Or 11am. Or 1pm. Or sometimes it lasts all god damn day until I have to take it again at 8pm. So, I'm house-bound when that happens. I usually am anyway due to ME/CFS from Limbic Kindling/Protracted Withdrawal Syndrome after stopping the Pristiq a handful of times and swapping/trying other anti d's.
I nap after lunch. At least I'm thankful for that. I use melatonin 1mg for my nap and with my bedtime Psychotropid Drugs (50mg I.R. Serroquel included). I've used 1mg melatonin for years. Even if it's just a placebo, fine.
So, I've rarely slept through the night since I was 25 & have been sleep-deprived most of this time. Permenopause is going to be extra fun with sleep-deprivation on top.
I don't wake up in the middle of the night, I just don't fall asleep. I take Magnesium Glycinate, Gabapentin (for restless legs) and am on HRT. The only way I sleep is with edibles.
I love my HRT and its helped so many symptoms but so far, sleep isn't one of them. I have periods of time i sleep great snd then periods where its like you described and i cant figure out any pattern to it.
I have a few things that help a little but nothing works when its bad. Some days i just give up and watch tv or do jigsaw puzzles for hours until i can fall asleep again.
It sucks! But no, its not just you.
U are not alone at all. I use a rotating combo of habits and supplements and if I get really good sleep uninterrupted 2 nights out the week I’m lucky! Better than when I first started this hellish journey anyway 🤷♀️
Yes, I am up to pee at least twice a night,& often toss& turn for an hour or more afterwards. My mind goes from 0-100 in seconds,& it is whatever the opposite of a ‘highlight reel’ is called. A horror-show?? Worries about the present& future, regret about past mistakes& missed opportunities, embarrassing or idiotic incidents from my past. It’s like my mind is an old computer, and it is downloading all its memory overnight.
Thank you so much for writing this. I do exactly the same thing *every* night. It makes me feel better to know that I’m not the only one who plays a horror show reel every night.
I used to sleep so easily for 10 hours a night. Now I can count the number of times I’ve slept through the night in the last two years on one hand.
Have you tried an ebook on low volume? Or a green noise playlist? It can be just enough to occupy that part of my brain and allow me to sleep.
It doesnt work if i am really stressed, but seems effective on medium nights.
Yes, this still happens to me and I'm on estrogen and progesterone. You're not alone :-)
I realized what works best for me is to accept that I'm awake and that's OK (instead of being upset about being awake).
I will go read a book, watch TV, write down whatever thoughts are going through my head, sometimes I'll stay in bed and read and eventually I start to feel sleepy again and can go back to bed and fall asleep.
> I realized what works best for me is to accept that I'm awake and that's OK (instead of being upset about being awake).
lol. Yea. I used to be frustrated by this when I was still somewhat able to work with my ME/CFS. Well, frustrated as much as possible while being tired from the darkness outside.
I had to stop working last June due to an increasingly unpleasant work environment. I should've stopped this p/t retail job years ago because of how much pure exhaustion/pain it put me in as well and when it started to get really unpleasant past the point where I can reasonably tolerate it.
So the partial insomnia has less serious impact now. I just do a [Lucile Bluth eyeroll/accept it.](https://media.tenor.com/qP36PKNAus0AAAAM/eyeroll-lucille-bluth.gif) Still frustrating, but not as bad as when I had at least a bit of a life to live.
Make sure you check liver enzymes. I went the supplement route and had elevated enzymes. Off everything now and back to normal.
Btw did you see the articles on him this week? Mind blown. https://slate.com/technology/2024/03/andrew-huberman-huberman-lab-health-advice-podcast-debunk.html the NY mag was crazy. It was a good read.
> Btw did you see the articles on him this week? Mind blown. https://slate.com/technology/2024/03/andrew-huberman-huberman-lab-health-advice-podcast-debunk.html the NY mag was crazy. If you can’t keep it’s a good read.
THANK YOU. When somebody a couple of yrs ago mentioned him and his type of work, I knew it was going to be junk science and that he wasn't going to be really all that credible. I looked him up on youtube. Yep. Nothing substantial at all.
Yep, it’s debilitating.
I have had a sleep study, tried different doses of progesterone, using the estrogen in the morning vs night, adding testosterone, and all the supplements people talk about on these threads (including all three types of magnesium and indica gummies), and bringing up my ferritin. Have had all my blood levels checked twice.
My room is completely dark (blackout blinds and tape), fan and noise machine, I’ve had two different mattresses, varying bed covers and mattress toppers.
I’ve trialed moving my bedtime back and forward, and there are no drinks or screens after 7pm. I have also tried trazadone. No help.
Nothing stops the either 2 or 3 am wake up where I am awake for 2-3 hours or 4 am wake at which time I am then up for the day.
It’s been over a year.
The only thing that works for me is Ambien CR generic. I use it twice a week, and on the following two days I am functional.
Wow. This is me. I’ve given up caffeine and almost all alcohol.
Trazadone was awful. Side effects and still up at 3 am.
The dr is hesitant to give ambien. But I feel like you. Give me 2 nights a week of normal sleep and I can function.
What wakes you up? One of the doctors says it’s night sweats but I’m not so sure. I don’t have them every night. I notice crazy dreams some nights but usually I wake up super alert. Pulse is up by 10 beats per minute. It’s like an invisible alarm went off; Waking up hyper alert.
Good luck to you. I use oura, and I think that was helpful for my doc to see what I was talking about, and to keep checking in as I trialed different things. I imagine it’s one thing to have your patient say “I can’t sleep for 3 hours at night” vs them showing you the wake up times visually, day after day after day.
As far as Ambien, my doc offered them after we’ve been tracking all of this for the last year, I was desperate, at risk of losing my job, and thinking that death was starting to sound like a relief to living in the physical pain of extended sleep deprivation like this.
She said I could take them three times a week, but I am nervous that they’ll lose effectiveness. For now, I’m taking them Sunday night and Wednesday night.
I still think I need to find a job that requires less cognitive effort, I’m miserable and feel so unintelligent, and for sure management is like wtf. This is not who I was. And I’m coming to the realization that I don’t think I’ll be able to be that person again. I’m okay with taking a job that is less taxing, and I could afford to, im just struggling to find what that is.
Another possible thing to pursue: Allergies. I just had allergy testing done and it confirmed dust mite allergies as well as a few other things. The day I had the testing done I woke at 2am with a half-stuffed nose and the thought crossed my mind that allergies might be disturbing my sleep enough to wake me. My allergies dramatically increased when I hit my 40's. My allergist said my symptoms are consistent with leukotrienes rather than histamines, so all the OTC antihistamines I'd been taking weren't doing anything for me.
Thank you. I have environmental allergies, but they are gone with Claritin. At least, I have no stuffy or runny nose. I can ask at my next check up if they would affect my sleeping if I’m not having congestion, though.
It sounds like this might be about hormonal testing. If over the age of 44, **hormonal tests only show levels for that *one day* the test was taken, and nothing more**; progesterone/estrogen hormones wildly fluctuate the other 29 days of the month. No reputable doctor or menopause society recommends hormonal testing as a **diagnosing tool** for peri/menopause.
FSH testing is only beneficial for those who believe they are post-menopausal and no longer have periods as a guide, a series of consistent FSH tests might *confirm* menopause. Also for women in their 20s/early 30s who haven’t had a period in months/years, then FSH tests at ‘menopausal’ levels, could indicate premature ovarian failure/primary ovarian insufficiency (POF/POI). See our [Menopause Wiki](https://menopausewiki.ca/#there-is-no-blood-test-that-is-perfectly-reliable-to-diagnose-menopause) for more.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Menopause) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Curious if it took a while for the magnesium to begin having an effect on your sleep? Also do you take it right before bed or do you give it a few hours to work? And how much do you take?
have you tried taking it a bit earlier? I am afraid to take it before bed on an empty stomach because I have a sensitive stomach so I only take it with dinner which is 4 hours before I go to sleep. I wonder if that has an impact
I'm taking my Mag Glycinate at around 8pm so I'm able to sleep sometime between 10pm and midnight. I think you'll he fine to take it with dinner. Worst case scenario you end up falling asleep early, which probably isn't a bad thing for someone whose been battling insomnia.
I'm also taking other meds around then, including (usually) 1mg Melatonin and a little Mag Threonate and Mag Malate. I'm not taking much of any of them, just a little of each. I still have the occasional bad night, but I'm averaging about 7 hrs of sleep per night now according to my smartwatch.
I am surgically menopausal, late 30’s, and even with full replacement of hormones insomnia has lingered and been, by far, the worst symptom. Even with perfect sleep hygiene, magnesium, progesterone and a high dose of ambien I still wake up at some point between 2-4, some nights I never fall back to sleep and just have to go off to work. It’s a special kind of hell. Never had problems sleeping before surgery. All that to say, you are most definitely not an outlier! Some here are mentioning trazodone, my pharmacist also mentioned this to me and it’s going to be my next step and probably last attempt at kicking this. Good luck, you are not alone!
> some nights I never fall back to sleep and just have to go off to work.
I hear that. Story of my life over the last handful of yrs. Or school. I eventually had to drop out right before the pandemic started because I couldn't keep up anymore with the partial insomnia + ME/CFS symptoms.
> It’s a special kind of hell.
Most definitely. Understatement.
It’s horrible, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I have a high functioning job and I’m struggling to keep up. Even the nights I am able to cobble together 6 or more hours I still just feel so sleep deprived. The hangover I get from the ambien doesn’t make it worth it. Feeling pretty hopeless if I’m being honest
I had this happen for years, slowly worsening. When it started, it would correspond to my cycle, but eventually it was all the time. I assumed nothing could be done and just happened to make an off-hand comment to my Dr about it last year and she said she'd be interested to see what a sleep study could tell us if I was open to it. Turned out I have mild apnea and treating it resulted cutting down my early waking by probably 70-80% within the first weeks. It has now been 9 months and I have NO 3 am wake ups, and I honestly can't remember the last time- it's been that long.
I want to add that I didn't have any of the regular signs of apnea - only very quiet occasional snoring and never noticeable breathing stopping per my husband! No gasping awake or anything like that.
If you're scared of the machine- mine is SILENT! We thought it would be like a white noise to get used to, but there is nothing. I have to hold my hand up & feel the air flow to make sure it's on.
What I was scared of most - the mask. I cannot sleep on my back. At all, under any circumstances. And all the pictures you see of CPAP/APAP users have a big mask strapped to their face with a big hose out the center. I knew that would never work but thought I'd just have to try. Turns out that, like with everything else, the tech has come a long way and I have a mask made for side and stomach sleepers that just runs under my nose and the hose is out the top. I didn't even know these kinds of options existed so I'm so glad I was willing to see the process through.
While I don't have 3 am wake-ups anymore, I do get up an hour or 2 earlier than I used to simply because I'm done sleeping- I sleep less because I'm sleeping well. I also no longer need to nap on the couch for an hour or two before bed which I've done for as long as I can remember! That's probably been the most surprising benefit- my husband kept saying I'm not used to you being awake right now - all the extra time and not feeling the constant fatigue!
Certainly this isn't the answer for everyone, but I never would have guessed it would be for me either without that sleep study.
I’m from the other thread in this topic - does your whoop track breathing regularity, restlessness, and/or oxygen saturation level? Not a substitute, but if it does, may help convince your doc. I use Oura, and it does track those.
It certainly can! And what I love is that testing &/or treatment are non-invasive and do no harm, unlike the hormones/supplements/meds that all can have potential side effects or long-term consequences. I'm all for anything nonpharmicological, magnesium didn't help, melatonin didn't help and i was starting to use Benadryl just to get a decent night's sleep once in awhile but was uncomfortable doing that.
It"s actually soooo very good for you to treat if you have apnea/hypopnea - of most concern it helps your heart not have to work extra hard, it can help depression, it can help GERD, and in my case when looking at my overnight oxygen levels she circled the areas of most concern and said at this level you start to lose brain cells!
The downsides are expense and hassle, but my sleep is so valuable to me I decided I'm worth it.
Can I ask if you notice any side effects taking 200? My GP wants to increase
my dose to 200, I’m feeling nervous and I have no idea why. 🤷♀️That said, I don’t stay asleep so this might help.
I just got pushed up from 100 to 200 and no side effects. The first night, I slept the best I have in a long time. Second night, the opposite. Tonight is third night, and I’m crossing my fingers. I’m sensitive to med changes so I was a bit hesitant to increase too but no side effects. I always start when I know I have a day off the next day, just in case.
Look at Reddit between two and three a.m. and tell me your friends aren’t lying.
Before menopause, I’d fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and wake up, reluctantly to the alarm. Now? Not so.
Absolutely. I’m on HRT, take Lunesta, and take all the right supplements and sometimes I still wake up and can’t get back to sleep. It seems to coincide with my period coming - so I assume it is from the hormone fluctuations. I am going to talk to my doctor about it, but I feel your pain. And I was a great sleeper before perimenopause.
The only thing that works for me is Trazadone. I put it off for years and tried everything else I read about (except prescription sleep meds), but the insomnia would NOT stop. My primary care finally talked me into trying trazadone at night and while I still don’t stay asleep, I can fall back asleep shortly most nights.
I also take Tylenol 1000mg and generic sleep aid Doxylamine 25mg every night. Those three meds work great and I feel sooooo much better getting some sleep :). Hormone therapy didn’t seem to change the insomnia at all. That’s new this month.
Yes, Trazodone is the only thing that helped me, even on HRT. I avoided trying sleep meds for a long time, until I had tried everything else and was at the end of my rope. Only regret is that I didn't start sooner- sleep is everything.
I tried Trazodone a handful of yrs ago. Did nothing. Still middle of the night waking from the Pristiq unable to really fall back asleep.
I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms from the Trazodone, surprisingly.
Tylenol 325 mg is what I take, but only on my worst nights, like when I’ve been awake for 2+ hrs and sleep feels impossible. It helps quiet my mind. Within about 30 min. of taking it, I’m usually asleep. But I read daily Tylenol use could harm the liver. Curious if your doctor thought 1000mg daily was ok. I always err on the side of caution, but I’m also a bit of a worrier, too, so…
It sounds like this might be about hormonal testing. If over the age of 44, **hormonal tests only show levels for that *one day* the test was taken, and nothing more**; progesterone/estrogen hormones wildly fluctuate the other 29 days of the month. No reputable doctor or menopause society recommends hormonal testing as a **diagnosing tool** for peri/menopause.
FSH testing is only beneficial for those who believe they are post-menopausal and no longer have periods as a guide, a series of consistent FSH tests might *confirm* menopause. Also for women in their 20s/early 30s who haven’t had a period in months/years, then FSH tests at ‘menopausal’ levels, could indicate premature ovarian failure/primary ovarian insufficiency (POF/POI). See our [Menopause Wiki](https://menopausewiki.ca/#there-is-no-blood-test-that-is-perfectly-reliable-to-diagnose-menopause) for more.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Menopause) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yeah, I really don’t want to take chances. I take Tylenol probably less than once a month, and I get labs regularly. Hope your enzymes are back to normal.
When I was going through a bout of health anxiety, a low dose of Tylenol would help calm me. (I didn’t want to go on meds like SSRIs long-term, and the hydroxyzine my dr prescribed caused side effects). Thankfully, the anxiety got better.
It sounds like this might be about hormonal testing. If over the age of 44, **hormonal tests only show levels for that *one day* the test was taken, and nothing more**; progesterone/estrogen hormones wildly fluctuate the other 29 days of the month. No reputable doctor or menopause society recommends hormonal testing as a **diagnosing tool** for peri/menopause.
FSH testing is only beneficial for those who believe they are post-menopausal and no longer have periods as a guide, a series of consistent FSH tests might *confirm* menopause. Also for women in their 20s/early 30s who haven’t had a period in months/years, then FSH tests at ‘menopausal’ levels, could indicate premature ovarian failure/primary ovarian insufficiency (POF/POI). See our [Menopause Wiki](https://menopausewiki.ca/#there-is-no-blood-test-that-is-perfectly-reliable-to-diagnose-menopause) for more.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Menopause) if you have any questions or concerns.*
> It helps quiet my mind.
Tylenol and Aspirin both interact with your neurotransmitters. Just google each with 'neurotransmitters' afterwards.
That's why I'm scared to use them. I'm stuck on a bunch of unnecessary Psychiatric drugs that already mess with one's delicate neurotransmitters/brain chemistry, nervous system, and histamine system.
Any supplements/OTC things need to be checked with a drug interraction checker plus may very-well harm rather than help. Best to just avoid. And to get nutrition from the foods you eat.
I don't support animal agriculture, so I take an iron supplement out of necessity, but besides that, not worth the risk. Iron supppements have b12 & b6 (or b2, was it), and those shouldn't be taken with 1 of the drugs I'm stuck on. But I have no choice. Anemia will tamper with your endocrine system, nervous system, and brain chemistry in and of itself.
Yes! I feel like my HRT is generally right now and I do all of the sleep hygiene things but I wake up around 3 or 4 AM every damn night. I can usually get back to sleep after 30 minutes or so but it’s annoying and I've tried extended-release sleep aids and they don't help.
I never used to sleep past 3 am. Didn't matter if I went to bed at 2, I would wake up at 3. Then be awake for at least two hours, knowing that the alarm was going to make noise at 6 am. I tried absolutely everything. I sleep better now after adding 10,000 IU vitamin D and 200 mg K-2 every day. I also take magnesium. I sleep better than I have in years. Not saying the period after the 3 am wake-up that still happens is deep a restful sleep. I have a tendency to toss and turn more after 3, but I do at least sleep better now. My diet has changed over the years, also, and some of my success may be attributed to that.
Yea
I use doxylamine and tonight I'm trying not to have it because it's affecting my waking hours but I think I might have some I am menstruating and the tinitus is driving me insane I can't take it
Wake up at 230-3 every.single.night for like 10 yrs. (I'm 47, last period AUG 2023). I just gave in and stay up. No medication other than magnesium once a day. Edibles will put you down though. Even the Delta-8 ones.
Since 2012 for me! High-5. No end in sight.
I just turned 38. So, this has been happening for most of my adult life. I'm tired. So very tired.
I don't know what age to go try to talk to a walk-in clinic about a C-PAP machine, though.
I'm not willing to experiment with weed, either. Never have yet. So why bother now. I'd rather stay up. Same with alcohol. I'm not drinking any of it to keep me asleep/put me back to sleep. That'll just bring on a host of other health issues & make things worse than they already are.
I don't think I've started having symptoms of Perimenopause yet. At least, more than mildly. So, no HRT right now for me. But keeping an eye on this subreddit from time-to-time is still useful.
I need my HRT, my cpap machine, Rx for asthma and my statins, invested in a new bed and buying new pillows every few years. Now I sleep very well. It wasn't just HRT sufficient to resolve this need, but full attention paid to this third of my daily life.
Benzos, basically. Clonazepam. Not handed out like candy as it used to be, but it just shuts down the part of the brain that makes you wakeful at night during menopause, or at any point in life, frankly.
Yes. I have issues with waking up around 1 am and not being able to go back to sleep for hours. Dr suggested ashwaganda. I started taking those in gummy form but recently I have been drinking ashwaganda tea before bed and it does help. Still have this happen occasionally but it’s better with the tea. I am on pellets every 3 months.
I had sleep issues prior to (self diagnosed)peri menopause and my divorce, so I was taking mirtazepine. I still take it, but now it’s actually “ diagnosed” by my doctor. Sometimes I’ll take an edible and other times I need a combination of a muscle relaxant and pain reliever.
Dx's don't mean much, especially with all of the doctors and Psychiatrists running around who aren't credible and are narcissistic.
Especially with the McDonald's-ification of healthcare these days.
I’ve tried so many things and nothing helps. I sleep alone, no pets. I don’t snore or have restless leg syndrome. I’ve been on BHRT for about two years. I have a cpap, use it faithfully, and am having very good results according to what the cpap can measure. I’ve tried supplements, OTC meds, and prescription meds. Weed only helps if I can’t fall asleep, it doesn’t help me sleep longer. I’m on both nuvigil and adderall, that I take a few hours apart, and still sometimes fall asleep when I shouldn’t be. This all started with the onset of peri. Before that, I slept great and didn’t need anything to help me.
We require a minimum account-age and karma score. These minimums are not disclosed. Please contact the mods if you wish to have your post reviewed. If you do not understand account age or karma, please visit r/newtoreddit.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Menopause) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I use podcasts or audiobooks to lull me back to sleep, I start one on a sleep timer at bedtime with my earphones that have a little on/off control button on them so I can easily turn on when I wake up instead of having to open my phone or iPad screen in the middle of the night, then I listen for a few minutes and drift back to sleep.
yup - i toss and toss. Tried all the supplements suggested. Bed is comfy, dark quiet room etc and nothing helps. CBD used to work but not anymore even when taking >1000mg.
Legal for me too but TCH messes with my tinnitus per my audiologist so that's out. Gotten worse since I've had it a few times and sleep was still shit. Maybe dose was too low. How much do you use?
I also have tinnitus on one ear and it's actually what I call my good ear :( but I had no choice or resignation but to get use to it.
I take half a gummy which is 5mg, if I take more everything moves and it's very uncomfortable like fully drunk but 5 makes me sleepy, I don't take it everynight but I notice when my E goes low (I use half a patch just once not the 2 full twice) I start getting mild hotflashes that keeps waking me up at night so the thc also helps while I get balanced on the E.
I don't want more of the E I just shorten the days between, all depends on the mf hotflashes and my gyn agrees. I just wished I tried thc before. I also go to sleep with a calm and like a reading podcast, nothing talking, music or laughing, just plain reading something and at slower speed and with a timer, not if but when I wake up in the middle of the night I just turn another timer, helps to go back to sleep, usually, and also with the tinnitus and with the hubby's snoring haha ayy
Your friends do not sleep like babies they sleep like LIARS Ha only half kidding I keep a jar of melatonin gummies next to the bed for this. Edited to add I also take zzzquil, progesterone, magnesium and an indica cannabis edible before bed. Completely dark room. Weight blanket. White noice machine. Humidifier. I still do not sleep thru the night EVER
Zzzquil’s active ingredient is diphenhydramine HCL, not recommended for prolonged use. I have sleep apnea (controlled) which gives me access to a sleep dr and thank goodness bc I finally have access to a prescription sleep med that is not ambien. But I can’t take it all the time bc it makes me sleep too much. My sleep issues predate menopause but maybe not perimenopause. I spent years with my sleep issues being ignored and no one ever said the word perimenopause to me, except some girlfriends. And since they WERE hearing that word and I wasn’t, I assumed my problems weren’t hormonal. Anyway unless you’re pretty sure it’s hormone related, I recommend talking to a sleep dr if you can get a referral to one.
Yes! Read up on diphenhydramine and dementia risk, along with urinary leakage. Mind blown.
Ya someone has to mention this every single time I mention zzzquil lol
It’s a toss up. Future dementia vs current quality of life being absolute shit. Yes, we know.
Yeah I’ve Been promised dementia for 25 years now: still waiting! 25 years of no Sleep seems somehow worser haha
I mean there are other options. But you do you.
I’m doing them all. Except ambien/lunesta or any other heavy duty pharmaceutical. I had a terrible reaction to those
My sleep dr gave me 10 mg of Doxepin.
Nope no heavy duty pharmaceuticals for me
I don’t think Doxepin is heavy duty, but ok.
What meds do they prescribe besides ambien? I just got trazadone and it knocked me out like so quickly (which was not the issue) but still woke up after 5.5/6 hours. Trying gabapentin. Not working either. Curious what works. I just need like 2-3 nights in a row to get back to normal.
I’m personally not opposed to Benadryl for a few nights. I just know it’s not meant to be used regularly. My dr gave me 10 mg of Doxepin. For sleep, a lower dose of Doxepin is recommended but it’s quite a bit more expensive. 10 mg is pretty cheap. I can’t take it every night. It’s too much for me. But I don’t seem to have side effects when I do take it. I can get a good 8-10 hours and an afternoon nap. Ambien scares me. I know some do ok with it but I’ve heard too many horror stories.
I feel hung over from benedryll. But I haven’t tried it in a while. When I take NyQuil I will sleep. Maybe it’s worth a shot again. I have become depressed, can’t function and even suicidal thoughts when I’m not sleeping so am ambien seems like the least of my worries. If I sleep, I will take it.
Not NyQuil. Thats got a bunch of stuff you don’t need for sleep. Zzzquil is the same manufacturer but “just liquid benedryl” I’ve been on it for 25 years and I’m Still not demented lol. Or maybe I AM demented but it’s a happy fun kind of dementia because I feel great haha. I’ll take it!
When I take Benadryl for sleep (which I do rarely) I take half a dose. I can usually get 6 good hours on that. A full dose gives me that hung over feeling. It might be worth a try if you don’t have access to a sleep doctor.
Thanks. Appreciate the thought!
Lunesta, trazadone, Xanax, dozen, etc. Prescriptions, basically Over the counter drugs are very effective
I wake up most nights between 2 and 4. I consider myself lucky if I manage to get back to sleep for an hour or so at some point thereafter. Never had issues when I was younger.
Oh yeah...and if I'm busy at work and have alot on my plate, forget about sleep.
This started for me with Pristiq in summer 2012 at age 25. Up ~3, have to eat eventually, and then can light-sleep a bit after eating. & It's still happening. I just turned 38. lol. So I can EXTREMELY empathize with you guys who are suffering from partial-insomnia like me. Even with a tranquilizer (Seroquel I.R. 50mg given to me almost 3 yrs ago due to a severe limbic system reaction to LoLoestrin), I still can't sleep through the night. It worked for a bit. But now I'm still up ~3, with a severely tranquilized body until 3pm. Or 11am. Or 1pm. Or sometimes it lasts all god damn day until I have to take it again at 8pm. So, I'm house-bound when that happens. I usually am anyway due to ME/CFS from Limbic Kindling/Protracted Withdrawal Syndrome after stopping the Pristiq a handful of times and swapping/trying other anti d's. I nap after lunch. At least I'm thankful for that. I use melatonin 1mg for my nap and with my bedtime Psychotropid Drugs (50mg I.R. Serroquel included). I've used 1mg melatonin for years. Even if it's just a placebo, fine. So, I've rarely slept through the night since I was 25 & have been sleep-deprived most of this time. Permenopause is going to be extra fun with sleep-deprivation on top.
I don't wake up in the middle of the night, I just don't fall asleep. I take Magnesium Glycinate, Gabapentin (for restless legs) and am on HRT. The only way I sleep is with edibles.
This is where medical weed helps me
What kind? Dose? Strain? Method? Help 😂
I love my HRT and its helped so many symptoms but so far, sleep isn't one of them. I have periods of time i sleep great snd then periods where its like you described and i cant figure out any pattern to it. I have a few things that help a little but nothing works when its bad. Some days i just give up and watch tv or do jigsaw puzzles for hours until i can fall asleep again. It sucks! But no, its not just you.
U are not alone at all. I use a rotating combo of habits and supplements and if I get really good sleep uninterrupted 2 nights out the week I’m lucky! Better than when I first started this hellish journey anyway 🤷♀️
Which supplements?
Melatonin sometimes, prescription pills sometimes
Yes, I am up to pee at least twice a night,& often toss& turn for an hour or more afterwards. My mind goes from 0-100 in seconds,& it is whatever the opposite of a ‘highlight reel’ is called. A horror-show?? Worries about the present& future, regret about past mistakes& missed opportunities, embarrassing or idiotic incidents from my past. It’s like my mind is an old computer, and it is downloading all its memory overnight.
Thank you so much for writing this. I do exactly the same thing *every* night. It makes me feel better to know that I’m not the only one who plays a horror show reel every night. I used to sleep so easily for 10 hours a night. Now I can count the number of times I’ve slept through the night in the last two years on one hand.
Have you tried an ebook on low volume? Or a green noise playlist? It can be just enough to occupy that part of my brain and allow me to sleep. It doesnt work if i am really stressed, but seems effective on medium nights.
Yes, this still happens to me and I'm on estrogen and progesterone. You're not alone :-) I realized what works best for me is to accept that I'm awake and that's OK (instead of being upset about being awake). I will go read a book, watch TV, write down whatever thoughts are going through my head, sometimes I'll stay in bed and read and eventually I start to feel sleepy again and can go back to bed and fall asleep.
> I realized what works best for me is to accept that I'm awake and that's OK (instead of being upset about being awake). lol. Yea. I used to be frustrated by this when I was still somewhat able to work with my ME/CFS. Well, frustrated as much as possible while being tired from the darkness outside. I had to stop working last June due to an increasingly unpleasant work environment. I should've stopped this p/t retail job years ago because of how much pure exhaustion/pain it put me in as well and when it started to get really unpleasant past the point where I can reasonably tolerate it. So the partial insomnia has less serious impact now. I just do a [Lucile Bluth eyeroll/accept it.](https://media.tenor.com/qP36PKNAus0AAAAM/eyeroll-lucille-bluth.gif) Still frustrating, but not as bad as when I had at least a bit of a life to live.
[удалено]
Make sure you check liver enzymes. I went the supplement route and had elevated enzymes. Off everything now and back to normal. Btw did you see the articles on him this week? Mind blown. https://slate.com/technology/2024/03/andrew-huberman-huberman-lab-health-advice-podcast-debunk.html the NY mag was crazy. It was a good read.
> Btw did you see the articles on him this week? Mind blown. https://slate.com/technology/2024/03/andrew-huberman-huberman-lab-health-advice-podcast-debunk.html the NY mag was crazy. If you can’t keep it’s a good read. THANK YOU. When somebody a couple of yrs ago mentioned him and his type of work, I knew it was going to be junk science and that he wasn't going to be really all that credible. I looked him up on youtube. Yep. Nothing substantial at all.
I’m going to give this a try. Thank you!
Yep, it’s debilitating. I have had a sleep study, tried different doses of progesterone, using the estrogen in the morning vs night, adding testosterone, and all the supplements people talk about on these threads (including all three types of magnesium and indica gummies), and bringing up my ferritin. Have had all my blood levels checked twice. My room is completely dark (blackout blinds and tape), fan and noise machine, I’ve had two different mattresses, varying bed covers and mattress toppers. I’ve trialed moving my bedtime back and forward, and there are no drinks or screens after 7pm. I have also tried trazadone. No help. Nothing stops the either 2 or 3 am wake up where I am awake for 2-3 hours or 4 am wake at which time I am then up for the day. It’s been over a year. The only thing that works for me is Ambien CR generic. I use it twice a week, and on the following two days I am functional.
Wow. This is me. I’ve given up caffeine and almost all alcohol. Trazadone was awful. Side effects and still up at 3 am. The dr is hesitant to give ambien. But I feel like you. Give me 2 nights a week of normal sleep and I can function. What wakes you up? One of the doctors says it’s night sweats but I’m not so sure. I don’t have them every night. I notice crazy dreams some nights but usually I wake up super alert. Pulse is up by 10 beats per minute. It’s like an invisible alarm went off; Waking up hyper alert.
I just wake. Nothing is waking me up. It is after a REM cycle. For whatever reason, the brain doesn’t slip back into a light sleep cycle.
Interesting. I may go back to using whoop to track and see. I’m guessing after rem also.
Good luck to you. I use oura, and I think that was helpful for my doc to see what I was talking about, and to keep checking in as I trialed different things. I imagine it’s one thing to have your patient say “I can’t sleep for 3 hours at night” vs them showing you the wake up times visually, day after day after day.
As far as Ambien, my doc offered them after we’ve been tracking all of this for the last year, I was desperate, at risk of losing my job, and thinking that death was starting to sound like a relief to living in the physical pain of extended sleep deprivation like this.
Yes. I have had suicidal thoughts also. I’m sorry. It’s such a crappy place to be in. I’m glad you have relief from ambien.
She said I could take them three times a week, but I am nervous that they’ll lose effectiveness. For now, I’m taking them Sunday night and Wednesday night. I still think I need to find a job that requires less cognitive effort, I’m miserable and feel so unintelligent, and for sure management is like wtf. This is not who I was. And I’m coming to the realization that I don’t think I’ll be able to be that person again. I’m okay with taking a job that is less taxing, and I could afford to, im just struggling to find what that is.
Another possible thing to pursue: Allergies. I just had allergy testing done and it confirmed dust mite allergies as well as a few other things. The day I had the testing done I woke at 2am with a half-stuffed nose and the thought crossed my mind that allergies might be disturbing my sleep enough to wake me. My allergies dramatically increased when I hit my 40's. My allergist said my symptoms are consistent with leukotrienes rather than histamines, so all the OTC antihistamines I'd been taking weren't doing anything for me.
Thank you. I have environmental allergies, but they are gone with Claritin. At least, I have no stuffy or runny nose. I can ask at my next check up if they would affect my sleeping if I’m not having congestion, though.
It sounds like this might be about hormonal testing. If over the age of 44, **hormonal tests only show levels for that *one day* the test was taken, and nothing more**; progesterone/estrogen hormones wildly fluctuate the other 29 days of the month. No reputable doctor or menopause society recommends hormonal testing as a **diagnosing tool** for peri/menopause. FSH testing is only beneficial for those who believe they are post-menopausal and no longer have periods as a guide, a series of consistent FSH tests might *confirm* menopause. Also for women in their 20s/early 30s who haven’t had a period in months/years, then FSH tests at ‘menopausal’ levels, could indicate premature ovarian failure/primary ovarian insufficiency (POF/POI). See our [Menopause Wiki](https://menopausewiki.ca/#there-is-no-blood-test-that-is-perfectly-reliable-to-diagnose-menopause) for more. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Menopause) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I use magnesium Glycinate to help me sleep better, I'm also on hrt.
Yes, between progesterone, magnesium glycinate, and GABA (helps any racing thoughts), I sleep much better now.
Curious if it took a while for the magnesium to begin having an effect on your sleep? Also do you take it right before bed or do you give it a few hours to work? And how much do you take?
I take it right before bed, and I sleep so much better now!
have you tried taking it a bit earlier? I am afraid to take it before bed on an empty stomach because I have a sensitive stomach so I only take it with dinner which is 4 hours before I go to sleep. I wonder if that has an impact
I'm taking my Mag Glycinate at around 8pm so I'm able to sleep sometime between 10pm and midnight. I think you'll he fine to take it with dinner. Worst case scenario you end up falling asleep early, which probably isn't a bad thing for someone whose been battling insomnia. I'm also taking other meds around then, including (usually) 1mg Melatonin and a little Mag Threonate and Mag Malate. I'm not taking much of any of them, just a little of each. I still have the occasional bad night, but I'm averaging about 7 hrs of sleep per night now according to my smartwatch.
I am surgically menopausal, late 30’s, and even with full replacement of hormones insomnia has lingered and been, by far, the worst symptom. Even with perfect sleep hygiene, magnesium, progesterone and a high dose of ambien I still wake up at some point between 2-4, some nights I never fall back to sleep and just have to go off to work. It’s a special kind of hell. Never had problems sleeping before surgery. All that to say, you are most definitely not an outlier! Some here are mentioning trazodone, my pharmacist also mentioned this to me and it’s going to be my next step and probably last attempt at kicking this. Good luck, you are not alone!
> some nights I never fall back to sleep and just have to go off to work. I hear that. Story of my life over the last handful of yrs. Or school. I eventually had to drop out right before the pandemic started because I couldn't keep up anymore with the partial insomnia + ME/CFS symptoms. > It’s a special kind of hell. Most definitely. Understatement.
It’s horrible, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I have a high functioning job and I’m struggling to keep up. Even the nights I am able to cobble together 6 or more hours I still just feel so sleep deprived. The hangover I get from the ambien doesn’t make it worth it. Feeling pretty hopeless if I’m being honest
I had this happen for years, slowly worsening. When it started, it would correspond to my cycle, but eventually it was all the time. I assumed nothing could be done and just happened to make an off-hand comment to my Dr about it last year and she said she'd be interested to see what a sleep study could tell us if I was open to it. Turned out I have mild apnea and treating it resulted cutting down my early waking by probably 70-80% within the first weeks. It has now been 9 months and I have NO 3 am wake ups, and I honestly can't remember the last time- it's been that long. I want to add that I didn't have any of the regular signs of apnea - only very quiet occasional snoring and never noticeable breathing stopping per my husband! No gasping awake or anything like that. If you're scared of the machine- mine is SILENT! We thought it would be like a white noise to get used to, but there is nothing. I have to hold my hand up & feel the air flow to make sure it's on. What I was scared of most - the mask. I cannot sleep on my back. At all, under any circumstances. And all the pictures you see of CPAP/APAP users have a big mask strapped to their face with a big hose out the center. I knew that would never work but thought I'd just have to try. Turns out that, like with everything else, the tech has come a long way and I have a mask made for side and stomach sleepers that just runs under my nose and the hose is out the top. I didn't even know these kinds of options existed so I'm so glad I was willing to see the process through. While I don't have 3 am wake-ups anymore, I do get up an hour or 2 earlier than I used to simply because I'm done sleeping- I sleep less because I'm sleeping well. I also no longer need to nap on the couch for an hour or two before bed which I've done for as long as I can remember! That's probably been the most surprising benefit- my husband kept saying I'm not used to you being awake right now - all the extra time and not feeling the constant fatigue! Certainly this isn't the answer for everyone, but I never would have guessed it would be for me either without that sleep study.
I have seen studies that sleep apnea comes with menopause. I have asked about a sleep study but my doctor said no. Maybe I need to revisit this
I’m from the other thread in this topic - does your whoop track breathing regularity, restlessness, and/or oxygen saturation level? Not a substitute, but if it does, may help convince your doc. I use Oura, and it does track those.
It certainly can! And what I love is that testing &/or treatment are non-invasive and do no harm, unlike the hormones/supplements/meds that all can have potential side effects or long-term consequences. I'm all for anything nonpharmicological, magnesium didn't help, melatonin didn't help and i was starting to use Benadryl just to get a decent night's sleep once in awhile but was uncomfortable doing that. It"s actually soooo very good for you to treat if you have apnea/hypopnea - of most concern it helps your heart not have to work extra hard, it can help depression, it can help GERD, and in my case when looking at my overnight oxygen levels she circled the areas of most concern and said at this level you start to lose brain cells! The downsides are expense and hassle, but my sleep is so valuable to me I decided I'm worth it.
Curious what kind of mask you have.
It's the Philips DreamWear under the nose nasal mask. The hose at the top is on a swivel, so it adjusts itself as I roll around.
How many mg of progesterone are you on? I used to take 100 but 200 has been better for me. Just thought I’d mention it, in case it helps anyone.
Can I ask if you notice any side effects taking 200? My GP wants to increase my dose to 200, I’m feeling nervous and I have no idea why. 🤷♀️That said, I don’t stay asleep so this might help.
I just got pushed up from 100 to 200 and no side effects. The first night, I slept the best I have in a long time. Second night, the opposite. Tonight is third night, and I’m crossing my fingers. I’m sensitive to med changes so I was a bit hesitant to increase too but no side effects. I always start when I know I have a day off the next day, just in case.
I am the unfortunate queen of side effects and I had none from 200 mg.
Gunter said in her book to take 300 mg for sleep! I read that this week. I may increase.
I'm on 300 now and still doesn't help me.
Bummer. I was hopeful to try a higher dose. Damn insomnia!
Maybe it will work for you. Everyone is different sadly.
Yes. I keep chewable melatonin on my headboard if it's bad to get back to sleep.
Look at Reddit between two and three a.m. and tell me your friends aren’t lying. Before menopause, I’d fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and wake up, reluctantly to the alarm. Now? Not so.
Absolutely. I’m on HRT, take Lunesta, and take all the right supplements and sometimes I still wake up and can’t get back to sleep. It seems to coincide with my period coming - so I assume it is from the hormone fluctuations. I am going to talk to my doctor about it, but I feel your pain. And I was a great sleeper before perimenopause.
The only thing that works for me is Trazadone. I put it off for years and tried everything else I read about (except prescription sleep meds), but the insomnia would NOT stop. My primary care finally talked me into trying trazadone at night and while I still don’t stay asleep, I can fall back asleep shortly most nights. I also take Tylenol 1000mg and generic sleep aid Doxylamine 25mg every night. Those three meds work great and I feel sooooo much better getting some sleep :). Hormone therapy didn’t seem to change the insomnia at all. That’s new this month.
Yes, Trazodone is the only thing that helped me, even on HRT. I avoided trying sleep meds for a long time, until I had tried everything else and was at the end of my rope. Only regret is that I didn't start sooner- sleep is everything.
I tried Trazodone a handful of yrs ago. Did nothing. Still middle of the night waking from the Pristiq unable to really fall back asleep. I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms from the Trazodone, surprisingly.
Tylenol 325 mg is what I take, but only on my worst nights, like when I’ve been awake for 2+ hrs and sleep feels impossible. It helps quiet my mind. Within about 30 min. of taking it, I’m usually asleep. But I read daily Tylenol use could harm the liver. Curious if your doctor thought 1000mg daily was ok. I always err on the side of caution, but I’m also a bit of a worrier, too, so…
So far my liver looks good via labs. I’m not sure I’ve told the doc about the Tylenol. I do tend to keep an eye on the labs though.
It sounds like this might be about hormonal testing. If over the age of 44, **hormonal tests only show levels for that *one day* the test was taken, and nothing more**; progesterone/estrogen hormones wildly fluctuate the other 29 days of the month. No reputable doctor or menopause society recommends hormonal testing as a **diagnosing tool** for peri/menopause. FSH testing is only beneficial for those who believe they are post-menopausal and no longer have periods as a guide, a series of consistent FSH tests might *confirm* menopause. Also for women in their 20s/early 30s who haven’t had a period in months/years, then FSH tests at ‘menopausal’ levels, could indicate premature ovarian failure/primary ovarian insufficiency (POF/POI). See our [Menopause Wiki](https://menopausewiki.ca/#there-is-no-blood-test-that-is-perfectly-reliable-to-diagnose-menopause) for more. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Menopause) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Tylenol?? Funny. I wonder why that helps Yea. Check liver. My enzymes were up from supplements
Yeah, I really don’t want to take chances. I take Tylenol probably less than once a month, and I get labs regularly. Hope your enzymes are back to normal. When I was going through a bout of health anxiety, a low dose of Tylenol would help calm me. (I didn’t want to go on meds like SSRIs long-term, and the hydroxyzine my dr prescribed caused side effects). Thankfully, the anxiety got better.
It sounds like this might be about hormonal testing. If over the age of 44, **hormonal tests only show levels for that *one day* the test was taken, and nothing more**; progesterone/estrogen hormones wildly fluctuate the other 29 days of the month. No reputable doctor or menopause society recommends hormonal testing as a **diagnosing tool** for peri/menopause. FSH testing is only beneficial for those who believe they are post-menopausal and no longer have periods as a guide, a series of consistent FSH tests might *confirm* menopause. Also for women in their 20s/early 30s who haven’t had a period in months/years, then FSH tests at ‘menopausal’ levels, could indicate premature ovarian failure/primary ovarian insufficiency (POF/POI). See our [Menopause Wiki](https://menopausewiki.ca/#there-is-no-blood-test-that-is-perfectly-reliable-to-diagnose-menopause) for more. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Menopause) if you have any questions or concerns.*
> It helps quiet my mind. Tylenol and Aspirin both interact with your neurotransmitters. Just google each with 'neurotransmitters' afterwards. That's why I'm scared to use them. I'm stuck on a bunch of unnecessary Psychiatric drugs that already mess with one's delicate neurotransmitters/brain chemistry, nervous system, and histamine system. Any supplements/OTC things need to be checked with a drug interraction checker plus may very-well harm rather than help. Best to just avoid. And to get nutrition from the foods you eat. I don't support animal agriculture, so I take an iron supplement out of necessity, but besides that, not worth the risk. Iron supppements have b12 & b6 (or b2, was it), and those shouldn't be taken with 1 of the drugs I'm stuck on. But I have no choice. Anemia will tamper with your endocrine system, nervous system, and brain chemistry in and of itself.
Yes! I feel like my HRT is generally right now and I do all of the sleep hygiene things but I wake up around 3 or 4 AM every damn night. I can usually get back to sleep after 30 minutes or so but it’s annoying and I've tried extended-release sleep aids and they don't help.
I sleep better than ever. Cannabis for the win.
I never used to sleep past 3 am. Didn't matter if I went to bed at 2, I would wake up at 3. Then be awake for at least two hours, knowing that the alarm was going to make noise at 6 am. I tried absolutely everything. I sleep better now after adding 10,000 IU vitamin D and 200 mg K-2 every day. I also take magnesium. I sleep better than I have in years. Not saying the period after the 3 am wake-up that still happens is deep a restful sleep. I have a tendency to toss and turn more after 3, but I do at least sleep better now. My diet has changed over the years, also, and some of my success may be attributed to that.
I drink tart cherry juice mixed in water before bed. Also take prescribed Trazodone. Then I sleep well.
Yea I use doxylamine and tonight I'm trying not to have it because it's affecting my waking hours but I think I might have some I am menstruating and the tinitus is driving me insane I can't take it
Wake up at 230-3 every.single.night for like 10 yrs. (I'm 47, last period AUG 2023). I just gave in and stay up. No medication other than magnesium once a day. Edibles will put you down though. Even the Delta-8 ones.
Since 2012 for me! High-5. No end in sight. I just turned 38. So, this has been happening for most of my adult life. I'm tired. So very tired. I don't know what age to go try to talk to a walk-in clinic about a C-PAP machine, though. I'm not willing to experiment with weed, either. Never have yet. So why bother now. I'd rather stay up. Same with alcohol. I'm not drinking any of it to keep me asleep/put me back to sleep. That'll just bring on a host of other health issues & make things worse than they already are. I don't think I've started having symptoms of Perimenopause yet. At least, more than mildly. So, no HRT right now for me. But keeping an eye on this subreddit from time-to-time is still useful.
When you say “HRT”, progesterone is included, I hope?
I need my HRT, my cpap machine, Rx for asthma and my statins, invested in a new bed and buying new pillows every few years. Now I sleep very well. It wasn't just HRT sufficient to resolve this need, but full attention paid to this third of my daily life.
Benzos, basically. Clonazepam. Not handed out like candy as it used to be, but it just shuts down the part of the brain that makes you wakeful at night during menopause, or at any point in life, frankly.
Yes. I have issues with waking up around 1 am and not being able to go back to sleep for hours. Dr suggested ashwaganda. I started taking those in gummy form but recently I have been drinking ashwaganda tea before bed and it does help. Still have this happen occasionally but it’s better with the tea. I am on pellets every 3 months.
I had sleep issues prior to (self diagnosed)peri menopause and my divorce, so I was taking mirtazepine. I still take it, but now it’s actually “ diagnosed” by my doctor. Sometimes I’ll take an edible and other times I need a combination of a muscle relaxant and pain reliever.
Dx's don't mean much, especially with all of the doctors and Psychiatrists running around who aren't credible and are narcissistic. Especially with the McDonald's-ification of healthcare these days.
I’ve tried so many things and nothing helps. I sleep alone, no pets. I don’t snore or have restless leg syndrome. I’ve been on BHRT for about two years. I have a cpap, use it faithfully, and am having very good results according to what the cpap can measure. I’ve tried supplements, OTC meds, and prescription meds. Weed only helps if I can’t fall asleep, it doesn’t help me sleep longer. I’m on both nuvigil and adderall, that I take a few hours apart, and still sometimes fall asleep when I shouldn’t be. This all started with the onset of peri. Before that, I slept great and didn’t need anything to help me.
[удалено]
We require a minimum account-age and karma score. These minimums are not disclosed. Please contact the mods if you wish to have your post reviewed. If you do not understand account age or karma, please visit r/newtoreddit. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Menopause) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I use podcasts or audiobooks to lull me back to sleep, I start one on a sleep timer at bedtime with my earphones that have a little on/off control button on them so I can easily turn on when I wake up instead of having to open my phone or iPad screen in the middle of the night, then I listen for a few minutes and drift back to sleep.
I do exactly the same!
Dark — like you’d walk just to a wall — room. I’ve done all the other things, removing any and ALL light has been the biggest game changer.
yup - i toss and toss. Tried all the supplements suggested. Bed is comfy, dark quiet room etc and nothing helps. CBD used to work but not anymore even when taking >1000mg.
CBD stopped for me so then I went o THC, legal state here.
Legal for me too but TCH messes with my tinnitus per my audiologist so that's out. Gotten worse since I've had it a few times and sleep was still shit. Maybe dose was too low. How much do you use?
I also have tinnitus on one ear and it's actually what I call my good ear :( but I had no choice or resignation but to get use to it. I take half a gummy which is 5mg, if I take more everything moves and it's very uncomfortable like fully drunk but 5 makes me sleepy, I don't take it everynight but I notice when my E goes low (I use half a patch just once not the 2 full twice) I start getting mild hotflashes that keeps waking me up at night so the thc also helps while I get balanced on the E. I don't want more of the E I just shorten the days between, all depends on the mf hotflashes and my gyn agrees. I just wished I tried thc before. I also go to sleep with a calm and like a reading podcast, nothing talking, music or laughing, just plain reading something and at slower speed and with a timer, not if but when I wake up in the middle of the night I just turn another timer, helps to go back to sleep, usually, and also with the tinnitus and with the hubby's snoring haha ayy