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Why do so many women over 40 struggle with stress?

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  • Bansheee24
    Bansheee24 Posts: 28 Member
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    One word… MEN!!!

    No I’m joking.. definitely get your bloods tested for thyroid issues and hormones.. it could definitely be menopause.
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,354 Member
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    ddsb1111 wrote: »
    Received my HRT, progesterone, and DHEA. I’ve slept like a baby for 2 nights. I already feel like a new person, just getting 2 full nights of sleep! I could cry I’m so happy. Anyway, that’s all.
    I think the sleep is one of the biggest factors - I personally am crap when my sleep is interrupted and I struggled so much. Just getting some sleep made me able to cope with everything else. I don’t have kids, and can I just say I’ve always thought being a parent looks hard. How people cope with no sleep with babies is beyond me!

    So glad you’re benefiting 😀 I know HRT isn’t for everyone but when it helps - it’s awesome!
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,180 Member
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    Latest irony of peri—-I started HRT because I could t sleep. We’ve had to increase my progesterone, which is sedating. I overslept and missed a work meeting, which has NEVER happened in my career! So now I take my meds right after dinner so I can wake up on time. Makes it easy to avoid nighttime snacking, I suppose! I didn’t intend to flip the script entirely….
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,940 Member
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    ddsb1111 wrote: »
    Received my HRT, progesterone, and DHEA. I’ve slept like a baby for 2 nights. I already feel like a new person, just getting 2 full nights of sleep! I could cry I’m so happy. Anyway, that’s all.

    Hooray! So happy for you :smiley:

    Prometrium, a bio-identical progesterone, helped me sleep better but not a more standard one, whose name escapes me. However, during that time there was a wood stove on the floor below, and it was consistently too hot :angry:

    (I was taking this for my uterus, not traditional HRT.)
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 804 Member
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    Well, I jumped the gun slightly. I woke up at 2:30 and stayed awake until around 6:30-7am.

    I’ll keep an eye on it and if nothing changes I may need to up the progesterone slightly, but so far I’m still doing better than before. Good tip on taking it after dinner if I need to increase the dosage. I can’t be the boss of my company and miss meetings, not a good look 😂.

    Thanks everyone for all the feedback, it’s nice to have some training wheels through all of this.
  • NotGvnUp_EJ
    NotGvnUp_EJ Posts: 63 Member
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    I must commend you on dealing with so much and still managing to track your meals and try to stay on track. That's impressive!!!
    And lol @ I don't want to hang out with me now

    Hang in there, glad things are improving for you 😊
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 1,975 Member
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    Informative post and thread/responses!
    I'm in my mid forties (smack in the middle at 45), ADHD (not formally diagnosed, but not interested in fighting through figuring out meds since most of my work-arounds are well established by now), and on Mirena.
    There were several things mentioned in the article that have been a struggle - when the stress gets "extra" I find myself going into "shut down" mode far quicker than I used to. The tinnitus has been special too, although I have good reasons to suffer from that. Little things will set me off, even when I've not had a bad day (such as my teenage puppy having his usual teenage moment, and my tolerance is not where it ought to be).
    Life has been pretty high stress for me since 2018/19, with moments of calm in there, but looming big stressors on the horizon. Before that of course it was stressful but it was - steadier stress I guess. Now, it goes to extremes. A combination of my own life changing; world events that had personal deep impact; and then just "life shitake" that many have faced (such as layoffs and financial implications).
    I've mostly blamed it on the ADHD and all the life junk that I've been slammed with. I have moments of great calm, and have improved my BP by a lot (still improvement to be made though). I'm reaching goals and starting to see some small steps towards being successful in things that matter deeply to me. It's not like it's been all bad.....
    ....so hard to say where it all lands, and with the prices of healthcare these days, chasing things from that perspective is pretty out of reach when you can mostly function through life.
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 804 Member
    edited January 26
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    NotGvnUp_EJ wrote: »
    I must commend you on dealing with so much and still managing to track your meals and try to stay on track. That's impressive!!!
    And lol @ I don't want to hang out with me now

    Hang in there, glad things are improving for you 😊

    It’s stress management for me all day everyday now lol! The last thing I need to do is compound the stress and agony with backtracking 20+ lbs. I’d be gutted. It’s the one thing I feel like I understand and can control. A happy place if you will ☺️.

    Wow… I’ve changed.
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 804 Member
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    HoneyBadger302 wrote: »
    Informative post and thread/responses!
    I'm in my mid forties (smack in the middle at 45), ADHD (not formally diagnosed, but not interested in fighting through figuring out meds since most of my work-arounds are well established by now), and on Mirena.
    There were several things mentioned in the article that have been a struggle - when the stress gets "extra" I find myself going into "shut down" mode far quicker than I used to. The tinnitus has been special too, although I have good reasons to suffer from that. Little things will set me off, even when I've not had a bad day (such as my teenage puppy having his usual teenage moment, and my tolerance is not where it ought to be).
    Life has been pretty high stress for me since 2018/19, with moments of calm in there, but looming big stressors on the horizon. Before that of course it was stressful but it was - steadier stress I guess. Now, it goes to extremes. A combination of my own life changing; world events that had personal deep impact; and then just "life shitake" that many have faced (such as layoffs and financial implications).
    I've mostly blamed it on the ADHD and all the life junk that I've been slammed with. I have moments of great calm, and have improved my BP by a lot (still improvement to be made though). I'm reaching goals and starting to see some small steps towards being successful in things that matter deeply to me. It's not like it's been all bad.....
    ....so hard to say where it all lands, and with the prices of healthcare these days, chasing things from that perspective is pretty out of reach when you can mostly function through life.

    I know I don’t have the capacity to provide the perfect advice but I will say with 100% certainty that you’re not alone. Don’t take all the struggles lying down though. There are options, whether it be therapy, HRT, relationship changes (for some- you never know), a better diet, sleep, there’s so many variables. I’m grateful for the insight I’ve received here that’s lead me to find the answer that works for me. I bet you will be too.
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 804 Member
    edited January 26
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    ddsb1111 wrote: »
    Well, I jumped the gun slightly. I woke up at 2:30 and stayed awake until around 6:30-7am.

    I’ll keep an eye on it and if nothing changes I may need to up the progesterone slightly, but so far I’m still doing better than before. Good tip on taking it after dinner if I need to increase the dosage. I can’t be the boss of my company and miss meetings, not a good look 😂.

    Thanks everyone for all the feedback, it’s nice to have some training wheels through all of this.

    There are so many things on my sleep hygiene checklist and I have to do all of them, every night. I'll give you the highlights:

    1. Stop drinking caffeinated beverages in the afternoon.
    2. Have just a small amount of fluid with dinner, and no more after that.
    3. Evening stretching/yoga for at least 20 minutes, and preferably 45 minutes. I skipped this to my detriment last week.
    4. I finally found a med that helps me sleep but does not increase my appetite - Buspirone, for anxiety. Remeron and Gabapentin both increased my appetite >.<
    5. Room temperature - too hot and I have "vivid dreams" aka nightmares.
    6. Be really disciplined about getting to bed on time.
    7. I read to fall asleep and to get back to sleep. The back to sleep book has to be a reread, and just engaging enough but not a page turner.

    Ok, I'll stop now :lol:

    This is really helpful (it wouldn’t let me send more than 1 hug 🥹). I never mentioned before but I have, what feels like, extreme night terrors. I can no longer take sleep aids or melatonin because I needed so much and they would be exponentially worse. The last few nights with progesterone I didn’t have them, and I was amazed! Last night though, it came back, but I think it’s because the progesterone had worn off. I really don’t want to need something to sleep, but what can you do?

    I’ve been listening to meditation music when I remember and that seems to help. I bet some light meditation would be useful as well. I need to get over that it’s “another thing to do” and just do it because it makes me feel relaxed and calm. Life is becoming one long check list lol. Adulting is hard.
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 804 Member
    edited January 26
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    dearjo5421 wrote: »
    One word… MEN!!!

    No I’m joking.. definitely get your bloods tested for thyroid issues and hormones.. it could definitely be menopause.

    BTW, I love your joke. For once I feel like it’s me lol. My husband gets a pass finally. Poor guy.
  • MamaBear5445
    MamaBear5445 Posts: 59 Member
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    Glad you got it all figured out!

    Glad to hear it didn't happen at the hospital or a medical clinic. In several areas, health care chart gets marked, and it will show up everytime your chart is pulled up. It is now a permanent record if someone blows a fuse harassing administration in a medical setting.

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