What's happening at night

[Notfeelinglikemyself]

I usually sleep well and only wake if one of the DC calls but for the last week I've been feeling really odd at night.

I keep waking up for no apparent reason. Sometimes i go straight back to sleep, sometimes it takes a while. Occasionally i feel like I've been hit by a bus when I stir with muscle aches and pains. Last night I felt nauseous and had a vertigo type feeling whenever I moved. I woke almost every hour with heart racing and feeling thirsty.

Does this ring any bells with anyone? I actually don't know if I'm anxious or have something wrong with me physically or both?

One day this week I had really bad stomach pain and vertigo. I've also been having period pains although I should be around ovulation at the moment. But apart from that I am pretty normal in the day, don't feel ill or anything. The DC have coughs and have been a bit unsettled.

I'm surviving on 4 or 5 hours of broken sleep as opposed to my usual block of 7 or 8 hours but am sort of wired in the day so not feeling that tired.

What age are you?

37. DH went downstairs with DC for breakfast so I could catch up, we often do this when I've been up with DC and I get to sleep an extra hour. I just slept 15 minutes then randomly woke up again. It's driving me nuts! Yesterday I managed an afternoon nap but again felt extremely nauseous when I woke up from the deep sleep. I felt normal again after about 5 mins.

Muscle aches, poor sleep, anxiety, racing heart and just a general sense of feeling 'weird' could be perimenopause.

Having now read about it, a lot of the symptoms match. Could it be possible even at 37?

I was 36

You say your children have coughs - might you have covid? One of the most obvious symptoms for me was the racing heart, with Omicron, and the muscle aches were awful. No cold-type symptoms at all. If you’ve got an LFT knocking around, it might be worth it. At least then you’ll know it’s time-limited.

I've had very disturbed sleep each time I've had Covid. In fact this last time, the 'insomnia' was the first sign for me...it was weird

Definitely possible at 37. It's not the same as menopause, it's hormones starting to fluctuate and very gradually decline which can happen from your mid-30s onwards. I'm 40 and it's been happening to me for around a year. It started with subtle changes to my periods which became always either a few days early or a few days late rather than on time, they also became more symptomatic with cramps, greasy skin/hair, PMS, etc which I'd never really suffered with before. I had the racing heart feeling and heart palpitations, especially during times of hormonal changes such as ovulation and the start of my period. My hair started noticeably thinning and not just on my head, I could shave my legs and instead of starting to feel prickly the next day it would be 2-3 days and some patches took nearly a week. My anxiety went off the charts and my mood was low. I had insomnia. Dry skin. My appetite was either non-existent or ravenous and I had cravings for sugary foods especially chocolate and sweets even though I've never been a big fan of them. Muscle aches and joint pain. All sorts of things that made me feel really not myself.

GP was sympathetic and knowledgeable about it. I had blood tests to rule out other causes such as thyroid issues, they checked my blood pressure, did a bit of an MOT. Based on all those results being normal and my symptoms the GP recommended a low dose of HRT to top up my natural hormone levels. It's made such a difference and I feel much more myself. My anxiety and mood improved within days and now nearly a year on I rarely have heart palpitations or the racing heart feeling except occasionally during ovulation, my muscle aches and joint pains are gone, periods are regular again and symptom free, my hair is growing back, my skin looks better, I lost that podge around my middle, I have my energy back. I'll never be 21 again but I at least don't feel decrepit now.

So it could be perimenopause but, equally, it might not be and I think there is a trend at the moment to ascribe everything untoward in women over 30 as a sign of perimenopause (I guess it makes a change from the medical community always blaming odd synptoms on "anxiety" or "periods").

I would monitor things for a week or so and see if it improves, in which case it's possibly been covid like your family has had. If it doesn't improve then you should see your GP to rule out things like thyroid problems or blood pressure issues before discussing perimenopause.

@TeeHeeQuodSheAndClaptTheWindowTo @SouthwarkSwish that is good to hear, didn't think I'd ever wish for covid but yes then at least it would be time limited.

I did think I might have covid when I had the random stomach and vertigo issues together on Tuesday. I had also had an extremely sore throat for just one day beforehand.

With the DC coughing it could make sense.

I don't have a LFT to confirm unfortunately.

Now reading the covid thread, some people did seem to struggle with insomnia and constantly jolting awake for no reason, it's exactly what I was like last night. And the horrible heart racing/anxious feeling. Urgh, so unpleasant.

I had to stop drinking alcohol when this started.
I also now have a regular, chilled bed time routine, and I take magnesium tablets and have Epsom salt baths.

Gosh @Iam4eels that sounds like a lot to deal with when just 40. I'm so glad the HRT is working for you.

My symptoms did coincide with ovulation this week and my last 2 periods have been heavier and more painful than normal. But they have only just returned after finishing breastfeeding so possibly hormones are just a little out of kilt since.

I can relate to a few more things you mention though like sweet cravings and belly podge. I seem to be putting on weight and am heavier now than the day after DC2 was born which is mad.

Hormones are so annoying.

I have decided to stop coffee for the time being. I only drink one a day but just feel like I am on a weird caffeine high/adrenaline rush all the time, so definitely want to avoid anything that could make it worse! So sad, I love my coffee.

The racing heart and anxiety is a peri symptom, so possibly hormonal.
Heavier, more frequent periods can be peri too.

As an update, I have suddenly been back to normal the last couple of days. It's been amazing! I can sleep without jolting awake constantly, and my anxiety & racing heart have vanished.

This morning we got notification from the school about a sharp rise in Covid cases and lots of teachers are affected, so I think the Covid theory was probably right. What a weird collection of symptoms.

Let's hope I have a few years before these symptoms come back as part of peri!