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[Wrensong]

Oh CLKD - a lava lamp!  That takes me back!  What colour?

[Foxylady]

Thats horrendous Wrensong, it is so disheartening & disturbing when you hear about & experience these misdiagnosis/delayed diagnosis & the long term impact on individuals. Sorry you had to leave your job. I will definately keep a close eye re thyroid symptoms although I appreciate your situation is more complex. I hope you find an HRT & thyroxine doses that work for you & improve your symptoms.
I only saw an Endocrinologist 3yrs ago when GP was sure it was my thyroid giving me all these symptoms rather than menopause, I have to say disappointed in them & Immunology as they told my OH when he questioned that it was menopausal symptoms, no 100% the blood tests are accurate (FSH/LH) and pursued a whole load of investigations, etc to end up discharged back to GP & yes peri (as I suspected from the beginning). Age def worked against me, 38yr when first went to GP. I do appreciate 'specialists' are only specialist in their own field but when things don't add up look at the obvious (or what I thought was obvious) rather than extreme rare diagnosis! Anyway getting there now, although sleep still an issue but going to try stopping the flaxseed & then reduce Turmeric (def helped my aches & pains but suspect the high concentration not agreeing with my stomach) if after a while that doesn't work will try the Magnesium & back to basics. It's all trial & error!! x

[Wrensong]

Foxy - will PM you with a reply as when I typed it out it is all thyroid related so not relevant to this thread!
Wx

[CLKD]

Green glass - it's sulked in recent weeks so we had to put it into hot water.  I know want one with sparkles in 

Slept with busy dreams
Woke to the alarm which always shocks me 
Slightly hung-over 

[racjen]

Lack of sleep is just awful - I do sympathise, hits me too, I can usually get off to sleep OK, but then will wake in the small hours and not be able to get back to sleep. Have you tried phenergan? It's an antihistamine that has sedating qualities, it's non-addictive and it works for me - find I still wake several times a night but I go straight back to sleep. My other strategies is I put the radio on really really quietly, so I have to really concentrate all my attention to hear it. Stops the brain churning and often I just drop off with that in the background. Many a time I've dropped off to 'Farming Today!' x

[CLKD]

For years I had radio 2 by the bed, in the early hours I would pretend to skate to the music - I was really good  and by concentrating on the movements it would lull me into a state of relaxation.

I think that phernergan was prescribed for travel sickness?

[racjen]

Possibly - I've had it prescribed for sleep but you can just buy it over the counter.

[squeaker99]

Morning lovely ladies. Just a quick update. I had another good night, woke early a couple of times but went off minimum crazy stress.
Just took 1/4 sleeping table so am weaning myself off.
I am focusing on:
1. Not worrying/thinking about sleeping during the day.  This is the big one for me. This is my bad habit.
2.Use the APPLE technique if I start to worry about it( a. be  Aware of it b. Pause c. Pull back from it d. Let the thought go  e. Explore my surroundings; what I see/hear etc.
3. Having my ' bad thoughts guide' Chris Helmsworth is good as it injects some humour. I just imagine him saying ' naughty naughty' and hitting the thought with a big hammer. Changes the fear into something else.
4. No caffeine at all except my morning tea. 
5. Eating a bit earlier at 5:30 and not so much. Grazing more during the day.
6. I do the breathing 3 and out 6  for 10 minutes in the hours before bedtime.

Gosh it all sounds a bit regimental doesn't it , a bit OCD,  but I think I need to take my stress hormones in control during the day.

Oh and also try and reduce my sugar and increase fibre ( However I am going out for a waffle with chocolate sauce and squirty cream today......

Am having very vivid dreams at the moment - lots about childhood and loosing things!

[Wrensong]

Yaaay Squeaker - well done you!  Not OCD at all - sleep is serious business - you are right to put into action any measure you can to improve it.  Keep posting! 

[CLKD]

<hands over plate<  lots of cream please 

It's about acceptance.  Also getting a different sleep pattern.  I sleep when my brain needs to.  I also sleep at night usually.  People know not to poke me to see whether I'm asleep  . Or Else .......... I sleep in the camper when we are at sports events ;-). 

[squeaker99]

Another good night on 1/4 tablet so going in the right direction. Woke twice but didn't get stressed.

Yes a large part of this is about changing my mindset & bad thought 'habits' and learning new more positive ones.

I am re-reading a book my Paul McKenna called ' control stress' . It is very simple (almost common sense) and you have to be honest and commit to trying to think in a different way. When my anxiety is high I don't think very logically I think and the bad habits roll back in.

One big light bulb moments was the I am not an ' insomniac' - I have been telling myself this is what I am and always will be now. That my dad was one do I will be for ever etc etc.    But I realised.  No. I am just a Peri-menopausal woman. Period.  I have and will have hormonal ups and downs. No more,. No less.   It was quite a relief.

So I had another good 6+2+1 hours last night. 

My new thing for today is to build on having Chris Helmsworth telling me off what I think an anxious thought.....now it is not me but a miniature Jeremy Corbin standing 12 ft away who is pinging any anxious sleep or health anxiety related thoughts at my brain.   That makes it so much easier because now I think ' not now Jeremy' or ' Shut up Jeremy'  and that's it.

Best to all of you.


 

[Foxylady]

That's great squeaker99, long may it continue!! x

[Orangefoot]

I am sleeping better with hrt with no 3am panic wakings and hours trying to sleep again.  I've always struggled to fall asleep but sleep well once there.

I read an article in The Times with Tom Bradby talking about his sleep troubles and one thing in that articles has helped me.

I used to count my breaths and do yoga breathing up my front and down my spine but that lets my mind wander and isn't helpful.

In contrast what I read in the article about saying a word in my head shuts everything else out. It was a spiritual teacher who gives each sleep student their own word as he senses it but the basic one is beeja.

Sometimes I can't remember the word and go through a few to find it but even thinking nonsense words works for me!

[CLKD]

My lava lamp dulls my senses .............

[squeaker99]

Beeja. I like that.

I have been keeping a sleep diary and am now 100% sure that it is oestrogen surges combined with the anxiety/cortisol that give me the bad nights (adding in tiredness and not having the mental tools to keep calm).  When I had 4 months with no periods I never had any sleep issues and felt calm and night and on waking. When my period rears its head it is  the pre-menstrual days and mid cycle (day 12 ish)
pre-ovulation that I feel more wired.   I have been tracking this for over a year now and it is always day 24 or 12 when my anxiety and sleep issues arise. It would also explain why when I was put on HRT mid cycle to try and ' fix' the insomnia it made it so much worse  - adding more oestrogen to the already high oestrogen.

Anyone any idea on how to lower high oestrogen at these times so I can try and manage it? I can only find 'high fibre' (berrys/nuts/green veg/mushrooms/jacket potatos)  on Dr Google.    Any other ideas on lowering oestrogen surges at those 'bad' times?