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[Tricia]

Hi SuzieQ 

Sorry your having such a rotten time with sleeping, I am sorry I can't really offer you very much in the way of advice for how long it may last, only thing is that my doctor recommended me to take St.Johns Wort for fatigue as I don't really sleep very well or should I say I don't sleep at night time like most people, but could sleep all day long given the chance I am not too bad just now I am finding it is something I have mearly learnt to live with for just now, I can only say be good to yourself and don't be so hard on yourself sending you lots of hugs

Love,

Tricia

[suzieQ]

HI Tricia Thank you for your lovely message and the advice - its great to have support in this - I feel very low just now and your hug helps! I know "this too will pass" and I am very confident the patches will work eventually. Its just hard worrying when that will be and what the heck do I do if they don't - as I'm certainly not staying on this dose of HRT if they don't work! A menopuase specialist nurse I spoke to said I needed to give it 3 months to be a fair trial and that the sleep would probably just resolve slowly in that time - I just pray she is right! Meanwhile I try to be positive about the progress so far and to be relaxed about the nights - if I don't sleep at least I can rest and enjoy the peace. I pray a lot then!
Bless you for your concern - I pray you will find relief and peace too.
Love Sue

[Nicole]

Started menopausal symptoms at the tender age of 40 and insomnia was the symptom I found most difficult to cope with.  Most nights I lay awake for very long periods making me anxious and of course the anxiety just compounded the sleep problem.  I did not enjoy the daytime because I felt so wretche, tired and tearful.  My GP thought I was too young for menopause even though my periods were very irregular so I was treated for depression.  The anti-depressant I was prescribed solved my sleep problems as it was very sedating but when I stopped taking it the sleep problem was still there.  I tried lots of things calcium, valerian, Kalms, black cohosh, blood pressure pills, lavender oil, herbal nytol, nytol, cammomile tea, good sleep hygiene but things were worse than ever as I was now soaking with sweat most of the time.  By now I was 43 and my GP said that if the insomnia was caused by low oestrogen then only HRT would help.  First type did nothing but upset my stomach but the second (Ellest Duet) smallest dose was fabulous.  The first day I took one I slept wonderfully, just like the good old days and my sweats disappeared within a week, in fact all symptoms were greatly improved.  I have been taking this for over 4 years and to go to bed without fear of not sleeping is truly wonderful.  My only worry is that one day I will have to stop taking it and things will be as they were, but for now I am enjoying life to the full.  HRT often suffers from bad press but my symptoms made my life hell so for me it is worth the risk.

[ladyjane]

The menopause symptom that bothered me the most was not able to sleep and the anxiety that went with it. I have some zopiclone that my Dr prescribed but I only take half a tablet when I really have too. I am on a a very low dose patch .025 that I keep on for a week if poss, and take 1mg of melatonin, it usually works, but I still wish that I could sleep the way I use to before all this started, I think of its the symptoms of not sleeping that persists after menopause. Have always thought that I could deal with anything that life threw at me if I could sleep!
Sandyx

[Soo Bear]

Hi all
I am afraid that I don't sleep well at all. Once I am awake I find that it is hard to get back off.
Any suggestions?
Soo bear

[Libby Babe]

Hi Soo Bear
Sorry to hear you are having trouble sleeping.  I find that listening to music quietly on headphones helps me, it might be worth a try.  It is awful when you can't sleep and we can all sympathise with you.  Let me know how you get on.
Love Libby
x

[Foggy]

Hi Soo Bear,  I am exactly the same in that I wake up in the early hours, I can be sound asleep one scond and then suddenly you'd think someone had flicked a switch and my heart sinks when I realise I'm wide awake again!

I've spent weeks lately dragging myself through the days with no energy, aches and pains and just feeling unable to cope 

The past couple of nights though have been better, and I've started taking menopace and night time kalms, although I suspect that this might be a blip and I'll be back to square one in a week or so.

My sleeplessness seems to tie in with before, during and after my period, so I often get a week or so when I feel okay, then it strikes again!

I am only 41, but seriously considering going for some medication when it's really bad, as I just can't seem to function.

[Menopausal Minnie]

Hi Foggy - Sorry to read you're feeling "not the best" I'm having a "not the best day today" it must be really nice to get up in the morning and feel good about the day ahead.....COME BACK SOON.

Big Hug to you :-) anyway

I take Menopace as well as at least it has had some Medical investigations done.  I also take Kalms as well and find if I time it just right then I get a fair to decent nights sleep.

I'm also going to give the Magnet Therapy a go, and try Starflower Oil capsules again.

You'll be able to pick me up and I'll ruddy well rattle soon - no wonder I'm constipated I'm taking in more "remedies" than actual food :-)

Anyway, hope you feel better soon
Love MM

[Foggy]

Aww bless you MM, hugs to you too 

[suzieQ]

I am going to try 1 mg of melatonin tonight as suggested - anyone have any other hints or tips to get to sleep easier and quicker - it takes me about 2 hours some nights. All my other symptoms have now been alleviated since I went back on HRT nearly 3 weeks ago ( Evorel patches) but not the sleep yet. I was encouraged by the post from the lady who said she had quick relief when she began Ellest Duo tablets ( was it?) Boy do I need some deep refreshing sleep. I just keep praying for the relief to come ... and worrying that it may never resolve itself. But it did last time when I started HRT 4 years ago - so I'm hoping it will again. We are going to Holland for a weekend break on saturday so I will take the sleeping pills my GP gave me and use them cautiously if need be ( Stillnoct 10mg - will use a half) Love to all you lovely ladies!

[juju]

Hi Sue and I can empathize!I am on HRT and it has improved my sleep.I had got to the stage where sometimes in the middle of the night I felt like suicide as I was so tired and couldn't sleep.The second my head touched the pillow the sweats would start.Didn't matter how tired I was.It amazed me that I could sit on the bed watching tv or lie in bed watching tv but as soon as I attempted sleep the sweats started.Then when I did sleep I would be woken up by them.HRT has stopped most of the sweats and I don't normally have to much of a problem going to sleep,but I do have fazes of waking about 2 hours after I've fallen asleep and lying there convinced it must be time to get up..wide awake..then putting the light on and realising its 1.30am or whatever !It only seems to last for a few days and then I get probably four or five hours undisturbed sleep.Hopefully you'll start sleeping better soon.

[suzieQ]

HI JuJu thanks for your very encouraging post. How long were you on it before the sleep began to improve? It is good to hear from someone who is getting better - I need to hear that sort of thing as I feel so sorry for my self just now - I feel sometimes just so desperate and like my life is totally pants! Will be taking a pill tonight so i know i'll sleep! But after that its back to the long hard uphill battle to get back to normal .... lov eto you thanks for your help x

[juju]

Hi Sue...I cant remember ...but I seem to think within a month everything had improved.I think I noticed lessening of flushes first and a general improvement in the way i was feeling.My moods had become quite awful and I was a nightmare to live with.Everything seemed to step down a bit quite quickly and I lost the desperate feeling I had.Dont know if it makes sense to you.I had resisted hrt for about three years trying everything I could buy which just ended up costing me loads.Then the gp put me on clonidine but that had no effect.By the time I tried hrt I was truly desperate and quite honestly would have taken arsenic if I thought it would help.I hope it works for you.Julie xxxx

[suzieQ]

HI Juju - thank you for yor helpful reply - I have been back on Hrt for over 3 weeks now and not seen any real improvement yet but the problem has been bad for over 2 months now. I keep on hoping that it will slowly improve and i'll be able to fall off to sleep easier and sleep for longer. It does make you very anxious - every night feels like a battle - but I know that only makes it worse and the answer is to try to be relaxed about what happens. At least the flushes and sweats are under control now and I feel generally a lot better, calmer and happier - if only the sleep would come right I would be so happy! I went to Amsterdam with my husband at the weekend for a little break and took a Stillnoct sleeping tablet on the 3 nights we were away and slept SOOO well ....but its back to tryiing to sleep without that aid tonight so think pf me! love Sue

[suzieQ]

Just a quick update - it was hard to sleep last night after a few nights on sleeping pills  ( maybe took til 1 am from lying down at 11pm)  but I did get some sleep eventually, but very light and patchy sleep, waking up many times, and being awake for a while each time.  Don't feel rested this morning, but maybe I slept more that I realised! My husband said I was asleep every time he woke and checked - its just the lack of deep restful sleep I miss....does anyone else find that? I am just praying so hard this HRT will help the sleep ( been on it nearly a month now) as it has the other symptoms. When I first went onto HRT 4 years ago it helped the sleep  quite quickly - within a month and it was very noticably improved over about a week.....Sue