[jessallie]

Hi Everyone,

So happy to find a place to share my sleep issues with others who understand and can perhaps help. I've been battling insomnia on and off for several years since I started menopause. It was not the sweats, or anxious thoughts or anything I can place my finger on, but I have been suffering from night awakenings. I would go for periods where I would sleep for a good length of time, and then I would go for bouts of sleepless. It would go in cycles. Unfortunately, I've since reached a stage where there are no more cycles. I simply do not get enough sleep anymore. I can fall asleep fine, it's just that I wake several times a night and cannot get back to sleep again. I can't seem to rest comfortably either. I actually feel like I'm jumping out of my skin. Cannot lie still.

I can't even try to stay up late and try sleep deprivation because I start falling asleep in front of the TV before 9:30. I have to get up and more around to stay awake until a decent hour to go to bed. I'm at my wits end. Most of the time I'm dragging around in the afternoon. I exercise every morning and I try to get out each day to get some sunlight. I have listened to relaxation cds to no avail. I'm trying to limit my caffeine but boy, I need it to get through the day. Tried various pills, but they leave me groggy the next day. So, anyway, that's the story. I'm here looking for support and insight to my problem or just to vent. Thank you for reading this.

[BobbyP]

Hello, jessallie, and welcome to this very helpful group! I continue to be very glad that I joined. Just knowing there are others out there feeling the same way that you do, well, it really helps your frame of mind.

I too have that issue of being able to fall asleep just fine, but then I wake up halfway through the night and simply cannot go back to sleep. I'll go along with several terrible nights, then get a couple of good ones (like magic, it seems!), and then I'm back to the midnight wakefulness. It is SO frustrating!! 🙁

[Jane]

Hi jessallie, welcome to the forum. Apologies for not seeing this before.

Well as it says on the tin, we can't guarantee a cure for your sleepless nights, but we can certainly offer advice.

Actually something you said got me wondering. You said you've had sleep troubles since starting the menopause? I'm not sure what the average age for that is, but maybe that's why I can't sleep? Never gave that a thought.

I can certainly understand you being at your wits end. I mean sleeping is so simple isn't it? Why is it that some people can zzzzzzzz away peacefully for 8 hours whilst the rest of us count sheep? It's so unfair isn't it. You really do have my sympathy.

We are always here for advice/help or even if you want a rant, which is understandable.

Welcome. 🙂

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to Insomnia Land, jessallie. We may not be able to cure your sleep problems, but we certainly can offer you plenty of support. I've come across a number of studies that link sleep problems with the menopause so it could well be worth investigating further – you could be on the right track. Apparently, the hormonal changes can wreak sleep havoc. You might want to take a look at our blog for some additional information.

Take a look around and don't be hesitant to get involved in any of the discussions, regardless of their age. Similarly, don't be scared to start your own discussion topics, either! I look forward to reading more of your posts and getting to know you better.

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[jessallie]

Yes, it's a well known fact that hormonal changes can really affect sleep. Most women complain of the night sweats or flashes keeping them up, but there are many out there like me who just plain have sleep issues. There might be other factors too. I am really starting to believe that my body has just gotten into a habit now of waking and I can't shake it. I'm exhausted enough to get to sleep right away but I waken during the night like I just had a good nap and don't need more sleep, that is, until I have to face the day like a zombie. I'm told just try to get sleep whenever you can, but you really need to get yourself into a regular cycle. Unfortunately, my regular cycle is waking up at 1:30 AM. I'm up for a couple of hours and then up at 4:30 AM. This broken sleep is just not good.

[AliDeal]

Hi Jessallie, at the risk of sounding a little brash, Menopause is a bitch – every woman goes through it, but it is one of the best kept secrets in the world, women don't want to talk about, men run away from it (sorry guys) and doctors, usually male, don't know what to recommend. I have been researching this subject in depth, when I started, probably about three years ago, all seemed to be ok, but as I progressed through this “Right of Passage”, I got just about everything that is known, if you dig deep enough, and the hormones or lack of estrogen play havoc with the mind, emotions, body and spirit – so you might find this is a reason for you not sleeping, you need to with boldness identify the other symptoms – there is nothing to be embarrased about and then decide on a course of action – I eventually, after much agony went onto HRT – it definitely seems to help – I am now working on the insomnia, which is an old friend. Good luck with the menopause – remember you are beautiful – inside and outside and do not let this time of your life undermine your confidence as a woman!

[BobbyP]

Thanks to Martin for letting us gals vent a bit on this subject! 🙄

This is indeed a difficult time of life — but good in many ways too. Still, it's not the night sweats that interfere so much (for me, anyway) but just a general tendency to have terrible sleep patterns and not getting that nice, deep seven or eight hours I used to get when I was younger. After about midnight or so, my mind just starts racing and I'm wide awake.

[AliDeal]

I have to say, thanks Martin as well, but this is a real problem for women, menopause can start as young as 40 years and can be very traumatic for women, often ending up in not sleeping properly, one of the reasons, I think, is that we as women have to deal with this major change in our life, for many women, our feminine self is tied up with our reproduction system, whether we choose to have children or not, is not the point, it is still a decision, when we go through what is called “The Change of Life”, there is much which we have to deal with and this plays on our mind, resulting in a change in sleeping, much of what we feel, emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually, is tied up with us being women and in many ways this has been defined around our ability to procreate, when this is not a choice, plus the changes in our physical body and mental well-being, we are moving from one dimension in our life to another and the term Menopause rarely has positive conatations, so we need to find ways to embrace this and maybe our minds will rest a little more, enabling us to stop the racing mind, the feeling like there is still so much more to life, but by tradition, we often are considered to be past our prime. Women are often considered past their prime at 50 and subconciously this has been ingrained into has from a young age, especially if we have witness our mothers and female relatives who when going through this change are often referred to – oh they are just going through women's stuff – but rarely spoken about – so in truth, menopause can impact significantly on our ability to sleep. For me, life started again at 50 – and I have so much still to do – but even with an understanding of this and my ability to speak about subjects which are often referred to as taboo, I still wrestle with my ability to still be considered a viable women – sorry about the termanology. So, with Martins indulgence, perhaps we can discuss this subject more, both men and women can learn much about the impact of insomnia and other issues around this time in a women's life.

[Martin Reed]

'AliDeal' wrote on '01:

So, with Martins indulgence, perhaps we can discuss this subject more, both men and women can learn much about the impact of insomnia and other issues around this time in a women's life.

Please do – I think it would be a hugely valuable discussion. Perhaps you could start a discussion on the topic in the Sleep Deprivation forum for the benefit of all members?

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Author]

Posts