USVI-On-Line

Perimenopause and sleep issues. I swear I am wide awake from 1 am to 5 am. Suggestions? I am exhausted and missing too much work as a result. I am allergic to benadryl so that is not an option, no caffeine after noon is already a rule.

Do you drink alcohol? That definitely interrupts my sleep. When I don't drink at night I sleep like a baby. You think the opposite would be true

Oooh, I hear ya! It's been a couple of years for me! I actually see a sleep specialist, and can give you his "rules" for starting to treat:

1) Bedroom is for sleeping and sex only.
2) No caffeine after 5PM.
3) Do not look at anything backlit for at least 2 hours before bed. This includes computer screens, TVs, and reading devices that are backlit.
4) Turn your alarm clock so that you cannot read the time. If you need to get up at night, do nothing interesting. Read something boring on paper or just sit there. Do not look at the clock. Get back in bed and don't get up for the day until your alarm goes off.

He says the trick is to train your brain that the most interesting thing happening at night is sleep. If you get up, you're just going to get bored, so you might as well be asleep.

All that helped some, and then there's always Ambien and Lunesta. Trazadone, a tricyclic, helps people too.

Good luck! I sure can empathize!

Oh, yes, skip the alcohol, too, as mentioned above.

If you go looking into over the counter sleep products, be aware that the active ingredient in most of them is Diphenhydramine, which is BENADRYL.

Ditto the alcohol. Ruins my sleep everytime.

Also a ritual is good. Like take a bath an hour or two before, read before bed. I think a bath really helps me.

Finally going to bed too early can be a problem for me.

Good luck.

oh i FEEL YOUR PAIN! you need to break the cycle--
i have found that one tylenol pm works wonders for me--if i take two i find it too much--so you should maybe startw ith one and see if that works--it helps me to fall asleep and fall BACK to sleep when i wake up (as i usually do) at 1 or 2 ---

I take Melatonin 3. Its available at GNC. It definetly seems to help me sleep. It also comes in and 1 and 5. My sons Dr. recommended it for him, he doesnt sleep at all without it and Clonidine. He takes 6 (2-3's) and is only 12...and about 70 lbs. I find that 1-3 is enough for me. And I like the fact that it is natural.

I feel your pain! Athough mine is not as constant as you describe. All the suggestions are good, make sure the room is very cool.

I use Melatonin at night. 1, 5mg pill under the tongue does the trick.

As far as I know I am not going through perimenopause yet but was stressed out and my mind wouldn't let me sleep. It only occurred for a couple of weeks but once I discovered how well the Melatonin was working I just keep taking it when I think of it.

I'm looking at my reference material for essential oils. These are listed as being good for Menopause:
Clary Sage; Sage; Chamomile; Cypress; Fennell; Geranium; Vitex; Frankincense; Jasmine; Rose; Ylang-Ylang.

I never sleep all night. I am awake several hours so I go to bed early since that is my best sleep. This has helped me more than anything and I have tried EVERYTHING!

Click on link below:

http://www.moseswong.com/sleep%203.html


scroll down to the introduction and read it. Trust me. It is a long article but worth it. I have shared it with a lot of people.

I tend to do better when I change where I am sleeping, like go to the couch. Snoring husband is sometimes an issue. I have just learned to lay there and rest which is better than nothing.
I think that article above saved my life last Spring. I was at the end of my rope. I am doing better ever since I read it. I also bought his book on Amazon (used since it is out ot publication).

Melatonin here too. (I already don't drink caffeine, even in the morning. I just don't handle it well.)

Even with melatonin I don't sleep all the way thru the night, but now I only wake up once or twice (used to be every hour or so.)

The no-backlit thing is a great idea. I have a bad habit of staying on my computer way too late. I also know that if I'm upset or angry about something, it churns in my mind all night long. Gotta get past those things.

I keep meaning to take up meditation and have looked for classes on how to do it well. Anyone here do that?

Good luck to all of you... here's wishing us all a good night's sleep!

i have to say that i have tried melatonin for a (what i call) break cycle--and it is a NO go for me--i have to have something stronger -i used to go to ambien, but had a VERY bad reaction to that -- for me exercise and no stress is the best--and after i break a bad cycle meltonin can help--but if i get into a bad cycle i need to break it with something--all folks are different and i know that dealing with sleeplessness is REALLY frustrating--but do yourself a favor and move thru the least invasive (meditation-melatonin to the most invasive (ambien for a few days to break the cycle then ramp down to not using)--i am not a fan of ambien (and i do dislike the over the counter stuff as well--but truth be told it helps me break a bad sleeping cycle)
good luck--really, it sucks having those wakeful nights.

Chicogans ~ I don't do nearly enough meditation (no time) and they say if you don't have time for meditation then you absolutely need to be doing it.

I have quite a selection of meditations. My favourite, by far, is Collette Baron-Reid's Journey Through the Chakras. You'll find it in "new age" bookstores and such or you can order it on line. It is a beautiful piece of work. Her CD Grace is also very beautiful for meditation and relaxation but it is not a "guided" meditation and Journey Through the Chakras is. For at least the past 8 months now, I fall asleep listening to "Grace" and haven't gotten sick of it yet. If you want to buy a meditation CD, IMO, don't waste your money on any other meditation. I have quite a few and honestly, none of them come close to Collette Baron Reid. Her voice is perfect and she uses lots of background such as waterfalls, wind instruments etc.

Minde ~ thanks for all the tips you posted. They were eye-openers for me. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to stop my computer or back-lit useage by 8:00 PM.

For those of you who do not tolerate the drugs like me, read the article by Dr. Moses Wong. Also exercise and anything that relieves stress like meditation does help too. But if I exercise too close to bed, expecially high impact, tough workouts, I do not sleep. Everyone has to find what works for them. The drugs like ambien make me feel worse that if I did not sleep at all. A lot of women sure have this problem.