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Author Topic: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping  (Read 581843 times)

Dr. Heather Currie

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Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« on: January 07, 2007, 06:00:52 PM »

Insomnia (sleeplessness) or disturbed sleep (leading to tiredness and fatigue), may be partly due to the night sweats, control of which can lead to an improved sleep pattern, but insomnia has also been shown to be a menopausal symptom regardless of the presence of temperature changes and may begin a few years before the menopause.
Simple measures such as taking time to relax before going to bed by reading, watching television, or having a bath can make sure that you're not going to bed with your brain working overtime! Try to avoid caffeine or nicotine for at least 4 hours before bed time and don't have the bedroom too hot. Exercise during the day can help but don't exercise just before going to bed. Sometimes it actually helps to get up for a while, since lying and thinking about getting to sleep can make it harder to go off.
HRT has been shown to reduce insomnia and, because of the disruptive knock-on effects of lack of sleep, such as poor concentration, irritability and, of course, tiredness, some women choose to continue HRT purely for control of that symptom, even if they are not having flushes.
Some women find herbal drinks such as chamomile helpful, or sedative herbs such as valerian.
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poppyrose

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Re: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2007, 07:34:49 PM »


I take night time Kalms, if I don't i do not get any sleep at all. My sleep is continually totally disrupted by night sweats and just lately I have been trialling something and they seemed to be reducing, I suddenly got a whole load of stress and of course we all know what stress does to our body!
Hence now am confused as to if what I was taking was working, it has stopped working or it is the stress I am under which is overriding all making everything seem a hundred times worse! I do not smoke and only have one coffee per day in the morning and do not drink any caffeine based drinks.

I actually made some graphs to monitor myself on these new herbal things and they seem to have taken around 4 weeks to start working (if they have that is!  :o But I could actually see the flushes/flashes/sweats starting to reduce. I also monitored what I was doing when I had a flush or sweat, in the hope I could identify a common denominator and thus eradicate it, well that was my theory anyway, I just cannot do anything about the other stress I am under at the present and I know this is not good for me.

I honestly cannot remember the last time I had a good night sleep and I have tried everything, but I refuse to ask for or take anything stronger than Kalms, I certainly do not want to go down that road!

Love Pops xxx  ;D
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AnnieG

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Re: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2007, 08:50:52 PM »

I have found that the HRT has really helped me.  I have been on it for 3 months and in the last 2 months I have slept better than I have for the previous six years.  I had terrible insomnia before. 
As well as avoiding caffeine (rarely coffee and at most 2 cups of tea a day and none after 4pm) I find doing deep breathing helps as does yoga when I get a chance.  On days when I feel very tense I use Kalms and or I take a calcium and magnesium supplement - but to be honest none of these things really worked until I started the HRT.
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jojo26

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Re: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2007, 06:55:41 PM »

I take Kalms too and have had to cut all caffeine out. Some nights I get better sleep than others but never had more than 5-6 hours sleep for ages, and I always wake up half way through the night and it takes me ages to get back to sleep and sometimes I just dont bother.

Jojo :)
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Scottie

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Re: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2007, 02:29:13 AM »

Hi  :)

I haven't really found a way of dealing with the insomnia. I've always been a night owl and when my youngest daughter didn't sleep through the night for her first 3 and a half years I got only too accustomed to being up till 3 a.m. Twas a hard habit to break.

Its not total insomnia. I just seem to want to sleep at the wrong time. Overnight I toss and turn and wake up hot and bothered every two hours or so but then I sleep blissfully between 7.30 a.m. and 1 p.m. given half a chance.

I'm off work just now so that's how I've been sleeping. When I'm allowed to work again I guess I'll go back to being permanently fatigued.

Take care - Scottie  :)
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ladyjane

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Re: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2007, 04:43:40 PM »

Found this

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/01/10/peri.menopause/

Click on the health video in bottom left hand corner- Sleep and menopause
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star/bc

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Re: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2007, 01:32:27 PM »

I changed jobs and work nights now and early morning like 2am which has help since sleep is unstable. I nap when I get home at noon. I still wake up sticky and wet but since night time is so bad working nights at least with a towel on my neck I function some what okay.
                           Star with bladder cancer
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elfie

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Re: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2007, 03:02:41 PM »

i havnt had a good nights sleep for about 19 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ever since i had my last baby, she slept badly and so did i. and of course i havnt been able to break the pattern. tried everyting going, herbal and what the doc gave me, even tamzipan. i still woke up on that but i was so smiley i didnt give a damm LOL and boy did i wobble.
even having a ladies op i was put out, but 10 mins after being put back to bed i was up n awake and sitting on the side of the bed wanting to go home.
at the momrny im on supa drugs herbal tabs, they help me get off to sleep with in an hour, but then every 2 hours im awake.my record was 7 times actully get out of bed n wandering.last night i slept for 6 hours the most sleep ive had in years, i took 2 co-codamols as my back was very bad.
the doctor has said the next step is the sleep clinic. which im reluctant to do, ive got an over active mind it dont shut down. just wish the rest of the body followed suit LOL
any suggestions on what to do next??
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ladyjane

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Re: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« Reply #8 on: January 15, 2007, 03:18:14 PM »

I have had trouble sleeping since 2000, due to personal trauma, hysterectomy and menopause. I have a very good doctor who I can talk to about most things, and when the going has been rough , she has prescribed me Zopiclone, a short acting sleeping pill, she knows I don't abuse them and a pack of 28 lasts me about four or five months as I only take half a tablet, once in a while when I get desperate for an unbroken nights sleep. They do not leave me foggy headed in the morning in fact quite the reverse. Melatonin has helped too, but it acts in a different way, I find the time released tablet is best, it works  if I don't have anything playing on my mind, if I have and take it and don't sleep it off it does seem to effect me the next day.
I think not sleeping is due to unresolved worries and issues, I have also found that since I had my hysterectomy, I cannot relax how I use to be able to and calm my mind. I seem to hyper aware of everything  eg. sudden noise, my body not relaxing how it use to do.
Sandy x
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Rosebush

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Re: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« Reply #9 on: January 15, 2007, 05:47:58 PM »

I to take Zopiclone 7.5mg when i get to exhaustion stage, but like L J 28 tabs last me a few months, i did try 1/2 tab ie 3.75mg but it did not work, they donot have any side effects so far..... maybe they would if taken every night?..
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elfie

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Re: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« Reply #10 on: January 15, 2007, 07:53:09 PM »

i bought some supa strenght sleep aid from tescos today. was reading on the box, and what did it say,WARNING may cause drowsiness (hope so or ive wasted my money )
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hot and bothered

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Re: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« Reply #11 on: January 16, 2007, 12:01:04 PM »

Oh Elfie.
 ;D ;D ;D.It's like on a bag of salted nuts. It says contains nuts. ::)
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sue54

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Re: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« Reply #12 on: January 17, 2007, 06:19:36 PM »

Luckily I am not plagued by night sweats. I get one occasionally. However I do go through stages when my sleep is appalling & then other times it is totally fine.

I always have a bath before bedtime & watch some TV or read & find that this helps as I start to drop off.

At times I am really exhausted when I go to bed & get off to sleep quickly. I then wake up about an hour later & toss & turn for the next couple of hours.

When I came back from Hawaii it was dreadful due to the 10 hour time change & I have to confess that I did resort to 3.5 of Zopiclone for 5 nights to restore my sleep pattern. hate taking it because I get a dreadful taste all day in the mouth the following day but I was getting a bit desperate
Sue
 :-*
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Hot2Trot

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Re: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« Reply #13 on: January 18, 2007, 07:37:13 PM »

I am surprised at the advice about exercise but maybe I am just a bit weird (okay, so that's a given ;D).  I exercise for an hour (at least) on a three evenings on, one off basis.  On the nights I exercise I jump into the shower and then into bed and am more often or not asleep as soon as I snuggle down intending to read or listen to music.  On the nights I don't do that, I struggle to get to sleep.
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poppyrose

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Re: Tell us how you cope with poor sleeping
« Reply #14 on: January 19, 2007, 01:28:21 AM »


Hi Ladies  ;D

H2T you and Claire in snowy Canada put us all to shame with your exercising. Try as I might I still cannot get used to this treadmill I have it is too much like hard work, I wish it had a motor on it!

On the subject of *nutty* things on labels, we once had a packet of pork chops which read: "suitable For vegetarians"!  :o LOL Straight up, honestly, really made me laugh anyway.  ;D

Lots of Love Pops xxx  ;D ;D ;D


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