Nature laughs at the menopausal woman?

[CosmopolitanCocktail]

It’s Saturday morning- I have been wide awake since 5am (thanks menopause).
I have two slumbering teenagers and a husband. They will sleep in for hours today left to their own devices and they all deserve it as they all have worked hard this week.

But bloody hell I’m JEALOUS. I’d love that really deep and relaxing sleep of old.
Its like nature truly kicking you in the teeth- when the kids were young and I wanted to sleep I’d be up at 6am bleary eyed and have to go down stairs on Saturday morning (hello CBeebies).
Now kids sleep in and I’m totally incapable of sleep.

So apart from the whinge (thanks for reading) what does anyone else do on weekend their mornings whilst waiting for their house to wake up?

Go to the gym. Although my menopausal insomnia huts from 1am to 4am so getting up in the morning is an absolute killer.
I do gym every morning once up....before I talk myself out if it.

HRT immediately cured my insomnia.

I relate so much. But I do enjoy a quiet coffee in bed, catching up on news and so on. While I wish I could just sleep in and my body would actually let me.

I’m honestly furious about the absolute shit we as women have to put up with - periods for years and years, with all the related hormonal chaos, pain and inconvenience. They then go completely haywire and throw in there anxiety, generally getting a bit fat and the joy of insomnia. It feels like a massive practical joke that you only realise exists then you’re literally in it.

But, to answer your question - get a really nice cup of coffee, sit somewhere quiet (ideally snuggled up under a blanket) and make the most of the peace. I sometimes get some online admin jobs done which are low effort but at least I feel I’ve done something productive - online shop etc.

Also, I use the Calm app to help with sleepless nights. Doesn’t stop me waking up but does help with getting back to sleep at 3am. But yes, that deep, anxiety-free sleep. What I’d give for that.

Gym too perhaps? Hrt hasn't really helped my early waking and think my days of sleeping in are gone.

Well I've just had a cup of tea and a biscuit. Sometimes I do marking which is dull but gets it out of the way. Sometimes I watch shows on Netflix that no one else wants to. Or go for a lovely walk. Or yoga. I think today it might be marking as I am tired and can't be bothered to get dressed yet.

Play on my phone in bed for a bit, than Parkrun on a Saturday and church on a Sunday. Best thing is to accept it and not get frustrated. It is what it is.

I’d be ecstatic if I could sleep until 7am.

I do a home workout and then catch up on the TV programmes that only I watch.

Me too! Although was my eh snoring that woke me, at 4.30 but once awake I can’t get back to sleep with the bloody menopause. I’m working 12 hour night as well tonight , so that’ll be fun

4.30am onwards for me.

Itchy bastard ears and constantly irritated eyes drive me fucking mad.

periods used to be horrific, struggled to get my 2 kids, took years and multiple miscarriages.
Mother Nature fucked with me even back then.

Kid number 1 did. Not. Sleep. At all… EVER until aged. & at school full time. I was a walking corpse. No idea how I survived.

Now could be taking life more slowly, enjoying down time, lovely work life balance for the first time in decades & I face this shit show.

Ive joined the “we do not care club”. Kindred spirits right there.

Me too!
Even 5am would be better than now when I'm awake before 4am and unable to get back to sleep

I’ve taught myself to see the bright side. I have never been a huge fan of long lie-ins. Sleeping until lunchtime is just wasting your life. The fact that I can never sleep beyond about 7am means I can get shit done so I pack a lot into my weekend mornings.

But for me HRT, exercise and magnesium have massively helped as well. I still wake up earlier than I would like but I usually get a decent seven hours.

Read, few cups of coffee, catch up with news and WhatsApp msgs. It is what it is. I do have to go to bed early to get my 7 hrs sleep tho.

Magnesium!!!

yup
up before 5
i usually blame my dog, but i woke up myself!
and it is saturday!
thing is if i do sleep long i feel groggy all day

i listen to all sorts on the radio - radio 4 extra has plays, world service also interesting.
or yesterday, before leaving for work, managed to watch two episodes of Derry girls.

I was (unusually!) having a lovely lie in at 7 this morning until a delivery of building materials arrived for a neighbouring house and woke me up 😡 Being able to sleep in is very rare for me these days so I am weirdly upset about it, menopause really is the gift that keeps on giving!

I was about to say magnesium too apparently very good for getting to sleep

I make a cup of tea, sort the washing while the kettle boils. Then go back to bed and read. My 11 year old is an early riser too- it is Saturday morning and he was up at 5.45am!

I agree @CosmopolitanCocktail.
My kids never ever slept in. Or slept through the night. For years and years. Then they did...so I guess i had a few good years. The perimenopause and menopause hit and for me, the issue is my bladder. Its just got worse and not got better. I've had countless medications etcetera. So now I have to use tena maxi night towels and its like having a wet nappy. And im up a couple of times in the night too.
So im back in nappies and my kids are grown up.
Its fucking awful.
Meanwhile, dh snores through everything.

Been up since just before midnight, then had a 3 hour drive home this morning as I was away working all week. Oh to have an anxiety free night....

I drink green tea and put on rain sounds on spotify. It helps me roll over and get a few more hours of sweaty menopausal sleep until the day really begins.

I love the quiet hours before the rest of the house gets up. So much so, I get quite cross when someone gets up and intrudes on my time.

Yep, that's me. Up since 6.30am and the rest of the house still sleeps.

I get up, let the dogs out, feed them, pop a wash on, then have a peaceful breakfast and a coffee and I actually love my quiet time before the house wakes up. It has become a real valuable part of my weekends. I usually catch up on Friday night TV that my DH doesn't enjoy with my 2nd coffee of the morning.

When DH graces me with his prescence we always go on a nice long dog walk together then call for coffee at our local coffee hut 😊