Hi tangobunny
You sound so stressed and exhausted - you poor thing.
Sleep disorders are very difficult to treat - the problem is, it becomes a vicious circle. The more difficulty you have sleeping the less you want to do during the day, you can get depressed and anxious and, I bet, you dread going to bed.
I go for a pee at least twice every night and often can't get back to sleep - it's torture. Dark thoughts plague me during the small hours and lack of sleep gives me headaches during the day.
If you are not getting night sweats and other meno symptoms, to take HRT just to help you sleep seems a bit odd. Yes, I do sleep better when on HRT but not always. I think pinning your hopes on HRT solving everything could lead to disappointment.
I think it's about breaking the cycle. I saw a programme that came up with a regime to help insomniacs. It involved going to bed quite late and getting up quite early - absolutely no TV or stimulants in the bedroom. You then had to get up quite early regardless of how you slept and get through next day without any rests - somehow!!!! Exercise and good diet was important e.g. walking and excluding stimulants like coffee etc. They were so exhausted they dropped asleep more easily and found it really hard to get up early the next day - it was important to keep this regime up for at least a week or so. The people on this trial regime quite quickly found they started to sleep better.
I have devised my own regime, I have a hot shower, read for about 20mins and I usually now fall asleep quite easily. If I can't get to sleep when I've been up to have a pee, I just lie really still, do some relaxation exercises(self hypnosis technique) and try very hard to concentrate on something lovely or very boring!.
I also take a Nytol for a couple of nights if I've had a series of bad nights and it usually helps to break the cycle - you've said you have tried OTC stuff so I presume this is no good for you?
Aching joints - I'm an ex dancer with dreadful joints and you've got to keep moving (walking or swimming is the best), lots of Omega oils and I've recently found that Glucosmine (1500 dose daily) is really helping. Omega oils have been shown to help children with sleep as it has a positive effect on brain function - worth thinking about?
If you still want to try an HRT, why not Femiston Sequi? I know a few friends on this one and they are doing really well - it comes in different strengths as well so you could try a low dose to start with. Oestrogel or patch with Utrogestan is another option.
I hope I haven't told you things you already know or have tried - I hope there is something there to help you. I really empathise - DG x
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Topic: Still having problems what to do (Read 5362 times)