[Soocki]

I would occasionally have a  night with little Sleep but would always sleep fine the next night. When I was 47 I started Menopause and that’s when sleeping became a problem and is still with me at age 74. I blame the medications that were supposed to help me. I was on hormone replacement which did help with the hot flashes. Then later on I was put on an ant-depressant for the hot flashes as I had gotten breast cancer and could no longer take hormones. I was also given a sleeping pill to help with sleep. I have since gotten myself OFF the anti-depressant and about 2 months ago decided to get myself off the sleeping pills. I did this on my own but my Doctor knew I was doing it. It wasn’t fun. I’m of course now having trouble getting to sleep. I basically decided to get off the sleeping pill as they really no longer worked. Plus they were no longer covered by Insurance so why pay for something that couldn’t be depended on to put me to sleep? So here I am trying to get my sleep pattern back that I feel may be due to the Meds I was taking for too long. I just want to go to sleep like a normal activity and not think about it. I’m not a Doctor so I could be wrong blaming the Meds but I’m sure they were a BIG contributing factor. I did look up the side affects of my Meds and lo and behold, Insomnia was a side affect! At 74, I’m still having hot flashes and get too little sleep at a time in my life it shouldn’t be a problem. I’m determined to overcome this One Day at a Time :).

 

 

 

 

[Night]

Menopause is when I believe that it all started. I sabotage my own sleep by worrying about things that are going on the next day. It’s worse, when I need to get up early than usual, with an alarm clock. I want to stop the anxious thinking. I had a barbeque to go to today. Because I was so worried about wanting to sleep good, and have a good time, I didnt.

[jillyrunpee]

This might be when mine kicked in too, and also from incredible grief. My life is more or less ruined and I am out of ideas.

[Martin Reed]

For many women, sleep is disrupted during (and after) menopause. A 2015 study found that:

• At premenopause, 28% of women reported moderate/severe poor sleep
• At the final menstrual period, 34% reported moderate/severe poor sleep

However, at late postmenopause (at least three years after the final menstrual period), poor sleep was found to decrease slightly.

Interestingly, the study found that the biggest predictor of sleep problems after menopause was moderate to severe poor sleep before menopause. In other words, menopause itself was not the primary reason for sleep disturbances.

The study also found that hot flashes were not experienced by all the participants who reported poor sleep (anxiety and stress were found to be other factors for poor sleep at menopause).

A 2018 study investigated the effectiveness of the following treatments as a way of improving sleep in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women:

• Escitalopram (Lexapro)
• Exercise
• Yoga
• Omega-3 supplements
• Estrogen
• Venlafaxine (Effexor XR)
• Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)

All the above treatment options (apart from omega-3 supplements) were found to improve sleep symptoms to some degree. Out of all the options evaluated, the study found that cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) was far more effective at treating moderate-to-severe insomnia.

The researchers suggested that if CBT-I is not available, exercise and venlafaxine were the next-best options.

I hope this helps!

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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.

[reneegavin]

However, Venlafaxine is extremely difficult to get off of from what I understand.  That is the problem with all of these meds.  Even if you don’t become “addicted”, you will become dependant.  I thought progesterone was my miracle treatment for perimenopause insomnia, but it only worked for a few weeks 🙁

[Martin Reed]

Well, the good news is that the most effective treatment (CBT-I) isn’t a medication.

—

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]

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