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[FlorayG]

I've always been one of those people who spends the day like a bear with a sore head if I don't get enough sleep so lately I'm turning into a total ogre some days.
I take Starflower Oil for the hot flushes and this works well, I only tend to get one or 2 a night when I take this and they only last a minute or two (without it I have several that last up to 20 minutes!). I don't take anything else for menopause specifically.
However I still need to address the insomnia which I can't stand, I've always been such a good sleeper. I get to sleep no problem and then wake up about 3 hours later BANG wide awake for 2 - 3 hours. Then suddenly I'm asleep again. It's definitely not insomnia due to stress as my mind isn't racing with thoughts I struggle to find something to think about! It has to be hormonal.

What coping strategies do you use? Is it actually better to sit up and read a book or should I just lie there bored out of my mind until sleep returns? I have been going to bed much earlier in order to get the right amount of total sleep, is this a good idea or not? Has any serious research been done on this specific problem and why it occurs in menopause?

[CLKD]

For many years I had insomnia.  I was in a VERY busy job which was on the go all the while; I would either not go to sleep or would wake after a few hours - one night I thought 'Oh I'm awake again, but I didn't die last time' and didn't have problems after that.

In more recent years if I get a night when I am awake I read; listen to the radio; make a cuppa; doze.  I believe that sleep should be taken when the brain requires it.  'experts' say to keep to a strict routine but I have never agreed with that.  Babies sleep when they grow or when they are tired.

Humans are now kept to a strong regime of having to wake by the alarm clock, probably before we are 'ready' to wake - in order to keep our jobs, get the kids to school etc..  Instead of being able to have an afternoon kip if necessary we have to keep 'going'  ……. so our brains are often fighting sleep which impacts on the rest of Life.

[honeybun]

If I can't get back to sleep quickly I get up. Generally have a cup of warm milk and honey then go back to bed to read for a while. I also have a very relaxing wave sounds app which is great for relaxing.

I think as well as being a hormonal issue it's also an age thing. As we get older we just need less sleep but then the quality of the sleep we do get becomes an issue.



Honeyb
X

[bramble]

I have the opposite problem - sleeping too much. I normally turn out the light between 12 and 1 and don't waken up until 10. Even going to sleep at 11 makes no difference. I can sleep for Scotland!
Bramble

[Dancinggirl]

I have found I don't need as much sleep these days.  I have recently gone back onto Hrt and the quality of sleep is certainly better.  I do get up to pee at least twice a night and while I wasn't using HRT I couldn't get back to sleep after each bathroom visit as I would get a nasty hot flush and creeping feeling in my legs that made me wide awake - now back on HRT I can drop off again quite easily.
During my time without HRT I did rely on taking Nytol for 2 or 3 nights each week just to ensure I didn't get too over tired.
I do find that if I go to bed later(between 11- 12) I do sleep a bit better and I try to get up before 8am even if I feel as though I could sleep more. I think going to bed too early or getting up too late can make sleep issues worse.
I also practise Mindful Meditation if I'm lying awake in the middle of the night.
DG x

[CLKD]

Bramble - sometimes I could sleep 24 hours 

[SueRoe]

I found it helped me to work out what was the minimum amount of sleep I needed to cope with the following day so that once I'd achieved that in a night I could say to myself, "Right, that's the basic amount achieved, anything else is a bonus". Lying awake telling myself that the following day was going to be awful if I hadn't had 7 hours was pointless and just ramped up the pressure. I found that I could just get through a day at work if I'd managed 3 hours - not easy but achievable. 

[CLKD]

Freda - I was the same, for years - in a busy job and wondering how I would cope with lack of sleep the following day ……..

[Dancinggirl]

Freda - if the menopause symptoms are effecting you so badly that you are lucky to get 3 hours sleep then you really need to get some help with this. Sleep is very important - please don't rule out trying HRT or some other form of medication - quality of life is vital and no one can tell us how long the meno symptoms will last.  DG x

[babyjane]

I get episodes of poor sleeping that can last days or sometimes weeks and then rights itself. I can't pinpoint a cause as it is too random but I find going into the spare bedroom where it is cooler and quieter and I can open a window, can help.

 

[SueRoe]

Dancinggirl, I am on HRT now and it's made a huge difference to my sleep. What I described above was the situation I was in when my sleep was as bad as FlorayG described in her initial request for strategies for coping with insomnia. I completely agree with you that quality of life is vital. x

[Dancinggirl]

Freda - so pleased to hear you are finding HRT is helping. I've just started back on HRT after a one year break and the lack of sleep was really tough to cope with.  The quality of sleep is much better when on HRT, though I still find I do don't need as much sleep as I used to.  DG x