Waking up early - is this a symptom?

Mouse_Potato

All my life I have been a night owl. I have wrestled with insomnia since I was in elementary school. I could get up early for school/work, be exhausted all day, and perk up as soon as the sun went down. To make matters worse, my body has always wanted 8-9 hours of sleep a night. Not very compatible with having a day job! I have been guilty of hitting the snooze button 5-6 times before getting up and even then I've been groggy.

Until now. For the last 3-4 weeks I've been unable to sleep past 6:00 AM. I do not go to bed early. Usually anytime between 11:00 and midnight. I feel fine when I wake. I am just ready to start my day. Is this another menopause thing?

ginocn6854

Early waking and insomnia are classic menopause symptoms. I too was a night owl. Now I usually wake up by at least 5:30.

Mouse_Potato

That went on for over two months, but I seem to have settled a bit now. I am at least sleeping until 7:00-ish, but I generally wake up at 5:00, 5:30, 6:00, etc.. Even if I stay up until midnight. It's just so strange! I literally went from needing 8-9 hours of sleep a night to needing 6-7 in a matter of days.

btrflybb286

Yes! I have a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep. I can go to bed between 11-12 and be wide awake anytime between 4-6am. For me, I’m exhausted by 2pm, but then perk back up around 4-5pm. I am post menopausal due to chemo/radiation.(I’m 42)

aTKDgirl

I've always been a night owl; when I learned the word "insomnia", I thought that's what I had!
I've always gone to sleep around midnight-1am even when I had to wake up at 5:30am to get to work on time. Now that I'm menopausal, I STILL am a night owl and also get my second wave of energy in the evening. The issue I have now also is getting to sleep and staying asleep! I've tossed and turned till 4:30am at times in the last few months and my alarm goes off at 6:40am. I'm a dental hygienist: I need clarity and single-vision (double vision isn't good when wielding sharp pokey things around people's gums!!). I often now take half of a 3mg pill of melatonin, but I have to do that around 9 or 10pm; otherwise, I'm groggy in the morning. It's a no-win situation sometimes!
And of course the weight issue: bad knees diagnosed at age 49 (I'm almost 56 now), and a sudden recent very painful and swollen ankle are NOT helping this situation!! I've gained 50 pounds in the last 8 years; I'm going to Italy in September and MUST lose some of this weight!! Getting back on track with food logging and starting gentle exercise... So much more fun gaining the weight! At this age, all it takes to gain weight is just to THINK about stuff I shouldn't eat! UGH.
Glad I'm in good company tho