If you’re approaching 50 and have trouble sleeping...has anything helped?

[dameofdilemma]

I can get to sleep but increasingly finding I wake between 2-4am and struggle to get back to sleep.

Not sure whether I should be taking magnesium, evening primrose oil or something else entirely....

I do all the usual things to aid sleep, healthy diet, regular exercise, limit caffeine/alcohol and screen time etc.

The sleep book by Guy Meadows. I'm not usually one to promote books for these types of things, for instance the Allen Carr stop smoking one did nothing for me! But this book really helped.

Magnesium is good, and it's very hard to take too much - I find the spray with lavender that you get from Holland and Barrett and Boots works well at night.

I get outside every day at some point between 11 and 3

I take these - magic
magnesium and tryptophan

Also CBD oil.

Not 50 but have sleeping problems, you can get slow release melatonin which helps you stay asleep, or promethazine over the counter.

I have cut caffeine out of my diet altogether. I don't eat chocolate anymore. I take kalms when needed and , use rescue remedy, use lush sleepy lotion and drink camomile tea when needed x

Yoga
Giving up alcohol after six...

No caffeine post lunchtime.

Hula hooping or yoga straight before bed.

Eucalyptus oil on pillow.

Sleep hypnosis app. Played at bedtime. The one I use is called chill pill but there are lots x

Melatonin.
10 mgs a night.
Otherwise I wouldn't get a wink of sleep, ever.

HRT. It's a bloody lifesaver.

I don't try to get back to sleep, but I just stay in bed and tell myself stories

Hypnosis.

Melatonin but still wake between 2am and 4am. Following for HRT advice as doctor prescribed ADs for anxiety and I think peri menopause is the stem rather than depression.

A hot water bottle, a silk sleeping bag, and an audiobook.

HRT

HRT was transformative. And the sleep problems roared back when I was taken off it.

Neuro Night complex vitamin pills from Amazon. Recommended by somebody on here. I've had sleep problems all my life, have diagnosed sleep problems medics can't do anything about (PLMD) plus peri menopause - now I often sleep through or if I wake up I can get back to sleep, when I never could before. Been taking them for 2 weeks and after taking all sorts of pills to help my sleep these have really worked.

If you are doing all the usual things - exercise outdoors, low caffeine etc then hrt

If your weight is ok and you are low risk for breast cancer (fam history etc) then risks are very low for 2-3 years of hrt gel or patches. Broken sleep actually carries its own risks for heart and mental health.

You are Peri menopausal at that age so this is normal and hrt will help. Dr Louise newsoms website has loads of info on this. GPs are sadly very variable in their knowledge.

Are there any side effects for HRT?

Newgirls - yes am low risk, no health conditions.

I’m 50 next month, but have slept well routinely for 20 years. I find I sleep brilliantly if I have had a long walk/swim/bike ride outside and I’m a good 2 days away from work in any direction. So about the Wednesday of an active holiday. It doesn’t happen often!

I find any amount of wine makes it worse
I make do with having a cat to snuggle up to, the purring is quite therapeutic.
Exercise, fresh air, etc does help. I find these bouts of sleeplessness come and go.

No caffeine after 12 pm.

Don't eat for at least 2 hours before going to bed.

Make sure you eat within an hour of getting up in the morning, as this helps to regulate your body clock.
Get some exercise during the day.
Get plenty of blue light in the mornings.
Wake up at the same time every day, even weekends.

Listen to the Feel Better, Live More podcasts by Dr Chatterjee, particularly those with Matthew Walker, as they're incredibly useful and inspirational.

Same here. I wasn’t aware that hrt had that effect, so it was a pleasant surprise after years of 3-4 hours of broken sleep every night to having 6 hours of unbroken sleep. This was within 4 days of starting the patches (only the 25mg ones).
Also, the very vivid dreams too.

Bliss!

Yes!!! me too! It's killing me ". I am on the magnesium which has helped me feel calmer. Exercise, massively cut down the alcohol, no caffeine after midday.... might try some Nightol tonight then.