Over 40, not sleeping, damned hormones

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  • TenaciousTAZ
    TenaciousTAZ Posts: 135 Member
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    ShapingTheLaw wrote: »
    I've been struggling for about 6 years with insomnia. I've done it all. I've seen sleep soeciaoists, lost 40+ lbs., etc. I fall asleep easily but wake up several times in the middle of the night. About 3 years ago, I waa diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I take meds for it. Apparently, insomnia is a symptom of hypothyroidism. I'm due for an overnight sleep study. I feel your pain. You know when the world saw the extreme things Michael Jackson did to try to take care of his insomnia, I totally empathized. It can make you crazy at times. Hang in there. You are not alone.

    I had my thyroid tested and it came back normal. I use a sound machine (beach waves or thunderstorm) to "turn off" my brain to get to sleep, but yes the waking up and not going back to sleep is hard. Sometimes I think my bad back (torn disc) just can be horizontal for more than 6 hours. I did happily get to sleep in til' 8am Sunday morning...RARE! (granted I woke up three times during the night!)
  • whit37k
    whit37k Posts: 22 Member
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    Sometimes just plain old ibuprofen helps me get some better sleep. Maybe if you are having pain/discomfort that is causing you to wake up and not go back to sleep you could give it a try. When I take it for that, I take 800mg
  • TenaciousTAZ
    TenaciousTAZ Posts: 135 Member
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    I use Advil PM when I'm desperate....I have limited my afternoon coffee intake, and it has helped a little.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    KANGOOJUMPS wrote: »
    WOW!!! I am 44 and the past 2 nights I have woke up at 2am!!!, So I head out and walk in the dark. I HATE being perimenopausal!!! But exercise does help me!, If I could get rid of the ANXIETY that I have never had in my whole life, I would be laughing!,, WHY NOW>>>>??? I WANT To BE 20 AGAIN!

    The 2am wake ups suck. As does the anxiety.
  • marm1962
    marm1962 Posts: 950 Member
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    Oh yes, the perimenapausal sleep disorder....hahahaha. Tried a lot of different things, nothing really worked. At one point I took 2 50 mg sleeping tablets and still woke up after that I just learned to live with it. Finally after the past 4 years I can sleep through the night, don't know why...I just do and I'll take that. I did find a scent that helped me relax, Thieves oil....but everyone has their own scent that will relax them, you just need to find out what it is.
  • Steve_ApexNC
    Steve_ApexNC Posts: 210 Member
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    TenaciousTAZ wrote: »
    I'm 44, but when I hit 40 I stopped sleeping...the good REM sleep I need. I used to sleep through earthquakes, and now one sound and I'm awake. Usually it's really bad one week out of the month, which makes me suspect hormones. I do take a magnesiusm/potassium supplement before bed to aid in recovery, but I know sleep is important. I'm not wanting to take melatonin, but wondered what others are doing....I know my body will release cortisol which will not allow me to lose much weight. Other than naps, I don't know what else to do.

    Just saw this - hope OP is still about to see...

    At some point in my late 30's, I had to cut way back on caffeine sources during the day. I am now in my late 40's and if I have any sort of caffeine drink after 6pm, chances are I'm up half the night. That means tea, coffee, soda, etc. I admit, I often have a little scoop of Ben and Jerry's Ice cream (hazed and confused - contains chocolate) around 9pm, but that doesn't seem to impact me. Perhaps just less caffeine in chocolate than coffee/tea. I dunno. At any rate, I found as I hit the same age, I had to adjust how much I took in during the day.

    In the last year, there have been several studies about late night screens messing up circadian rhythms. I am an avid reader and love my Kindle Fire. I don't watch much TV, but I definitely get computer time as well. Nights I read are definitely harder to fall asleep. The theory is that the light in the eyes tricks the body into believing it is day. From what I have read, the science is still unsettled, but some studies indicate this. So, it certainly can't hurt to experiment with an old fashioned novel or shutting the tv off late at night if you partake in those things.

    Workouts at night - I've heard some folks say this helps them sleep. I'm a bit in the other direction. While I do workout in the evening, it does keep me pretty amped up afterwards. Nights I finish my workout later are nights I end up going to sleep later. This is one of those things that I think depends on the person, but the lesson is you can try to alter your exercise schedule to see if you notice an impact.

    If you drink alcohol, don't. It causes sleep interruptions. Make sure your sleeping chamber is appropriate - I run a 20" box fan at night to drown out other sounds. I also have room darkening shades to make sure no outside light (moon, street light, neighbors spots, etc) doesn't stream in. Good pillow, matress, etc.

    Pretty much all of this leads me to one conclusion - spend some time trying to correlate your worst sleeping nights with activities during the day/evening and see if you find patterns. If you think you find a pattern, experiment a bit. If you can't isolate the cause, you can always talk to your doctor. If you and your doc can't come to any sort of simple answers like behaivor changes, they may prescribe a sleep study.

    For weight loss, worry less about coritsol and more about diet.

    Hope the OP found some solution - sleeplessness sucks.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,203 Member
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    I had severe sleep interruption insomnia when chemotherapy put me into hard-stop menopause at 44, and still have some more than 15 years later.

    I tried most of the things others have mentioned (with varying results, some positive, none dramatic), but the thing that helped the most was hypnotherapy (actual credentialed psychologist, not just a hypnotist). She interviewed me, then I went back biweekly 4-5 times for custom hypnosis sessions that used imagery & techniques tailored to my personality/situation. Each session was recorded, and she gave me a copy to play at bedtime at home.

    Went from waking every 1.5 hour or so, to getting a block of 3-5 hours solid sleep before starting the 1.5 hour re-wakes . . . may not sound like much, but under the circumstances it was a huge improvement. Costs money, but it's something to consider if you're at the end of your rope.

    Also, learning/practicing some progressive relaxation & simple meditation techniques may be helpful in the "wake and can't get back to sleep" scenarios.

    As with any advice, your mileage may vary.
  • TenaciousTAZ
    TenaciousTAZ Posts: 135 Member
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    I've always just had a hard time winding down, but I use a sound machine with waves or rain which helps.
  • jackielou867
    jackielou867 Posts: 422 Member
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    Menopause!!!!! OMG Im almost 50 and I just recently started getting restless and waking at 2am! Never occured to me it could be menopause.
    I cut coffee after 3pm and eat lettuce don't know why it works but it does.

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